Magic Monsters Dominions and Destiny
by Mei1105
Summary: Sequel to Witches Wizards Shadows and Souls. The Orichalcos has fallen, but it has not vanished. The Duel Monsters World Championships are upon our heroes and Voldemort's uprising begins again. But who is the mysterious Dark One aiding him?
1. Chapter 1: Don't Forget

**Disclaimer: **I'm getting a bit tired of having to disclaim two fandoms every chapter, so this is a blanket disclaimer for the whole story. Harry Potter is copyrighted JK Rowling. YuGiOh is copyrighted Kazuki Takahashi. I own nothing. I am making no profit from this fanfiction, bar my own personal practise and enjoyment.

**Summary: **YGOHP. The Orichalcos has fallen, but it has not vanished. The Duel Monsters World Championships are upon our heroes and Voldemort's uprising begins again. But who is the mysterious Dark One aiding him?

**A/N: **Its back!

Yeah, I know. I said I'd be gone a year. It's been...almost four years. I'm not proud of myself. I actually don't have much of an excuse for this thing languishing in development hell for about two of those years. If you want a full list of excuses, PM me, but otherwise it doesn't really matter. The important thing is that the story is here now.

When I first posted the last story I was nineteen and I'd just started the big scary world of university. Now I'm twenty four, I've got a Bachelors degree in Media Studies, a Masters in Creative Writing and I went into a job that involves neither of those subjects – and let me tell you, that's the _real _big scary world.

I just hope I can be adult enough to finish what I've started.

So, excuses aside, welcome everyone to the sequel of Witches Wizards Shadows and Souls.

The loose ends from the first story will be tied up, and hopefully I'll give everyone a few surprises. One change in particular will be the length of this story. I've plotted for around twenty five chapters (give or take, as the ending is still being written), which is shorter than the original. That shouldn't be too surprising as the timeframe of this story is much shorter than the first one, which was spanned over a year. Updates will be every two weeks.

Second, there are more characters in this story, purely because I'm bringing more of the YuGiOh world to the Harry Potter characters, unlike the last story where I was sticking the YuGiOh characters into the Harry Potter world. Hopefully it works well and won't be too confusing.

Thirdly – and I can't believe I'm saying this – I am letting my fluff muses out _for just a little bit._ You saw hinting in the last story, and I can safely say I will be shipping in this story, but it will not be the main focus. My characters have more important things going on than their love lives and I make a point of never sacrificing plot for pairings unless I'm writing a romance fic (which I don't do often – I'm rubbish at romance).

Fourthly – duelling. Given the settings of this story it would be impractical not to have duels, and there will be more than in the previous story. But you'll be pleased to know I'm not covering every second of every duel that happens to be mentioned – just the important ones. I know duelling doesn't appeal to all of my readers, but I do feel that it wouldn't be a Yu-Gi-Oh fic without at least one children's card game. That said, the real life rules apply to duels in this fic – so we start from 8000 life points and card effects are real life, save for any custom or anime cards. The only exception is Card of Sanctity, which follows its anime ruling.

On the subject of duelling, I have three people to thank in particular. My friend ardee, my brother MichaelDJ54, and my boyfriend 7th Librarian – three highly talented writers in their own right, and who I'm honoured to know and work with. Thank you so much for your help guys. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate it.

Finally, I need to thank Isis the Sphinx. Most betas would throw up their hands in disgust over the level of procrastination I've achieved. But you haven't, and I owe you a great deal for sticking with me. So thanks dear.

I believe that concludes this monumental authors note, so let's get this show on the road!

OOO

**Chapter 1: Don't Forget**

Cali Hudge screamed again as pain wracked her petite form. Her captors circled her like birds of prey, their wands drawn; their faces alight with malice. She whimpered as the spell ceased its rampage, and she hung against her restraints, trembling and sobbing from a combination of shock and self-disgust.

Her memory of the past half a year was one giant gap, punctuated by small slices of recollection that struck her occasionally. She remembered everything up until the Easter holidays. She remembered being attacked, beaten and then the strangest feeling of floating away, surrendering control of her body and just going to sleep. She had vague flashes of her school and glowing green stones, which danced before her like slivers of a broken mirror.

And then she had come back to herself, only to find she was bound before a group of Death Eaters who were blaming her and the magic she wielded on their Master's disappearance. She was bewildered. She didn't know what magic they meant. Her sense of time was hazy after four and a half months under the Imperious curse, and now she was in pain. She was in no state to comprehend what they were saying.

The little whispering voice in her head was however, and it was this that frightened her the most.

"_Poor, pretty little pawn. Does it hurt pretty one?"_

"Y-yes…please…make it stop…"

"_But why would I do that_?" the voice crooned. "_You deserve this pain for all that you have done_."

The girl froze.

"What do you mean?"

"_You don't remember pretty pawn? I'm not surprised. My other pawn's magic was very useful for controlling your every thought. Let me remind you._"

The next round of crucio was administered, but Cali barely noticed it. She had gone beyond the pain, retreating far into her own mind as she relived the acts she had committed under the Imperious curse and her exposure to the Orichalcos.

"Those people…" she choked. "Their souls…I…oh God!"

"_You set the stones in the school,_" the voice hissed, in a sing song voice. "_You stood by as those Aurors were attacked. And then you took the stones and put them back in the castle, all for me…such a good, pretty pawn._"

"I…I," Cali sobbed for herself now. "I never meant to…"

"_But you did_," the voice taunted. "_You are a monster, pretty pawn…not as much as my other pawn, for he truly was a monster. But you are an easily manipulated, scared little girl, who has hurt so many people…that is a monster_."

Cali cried, tears flooding down her cheeks. This was worse pain than any torture the Death Eaters could put her through.

"_Time to go to sleep pretty pawn_," the voice soothed. "_It's been nice, but you've outlived your usefulness._"

Cali's eyes slid closed, and she knew no more.

The Death Eaters were confused as to the girl's sudden stillness, until the Seal of Orichalcos flared to life on her forehead. All of them raised their wands, ready to fight, but the voice that hissed from the small girl was not her normal nervous cry.

"Fools! Your Master rots in the depths of the Shadow Realm!"

One Death Eater stepped forwards. "Who are you that dares mock our Lord?!"

The voice laughed, throwing back Cali's head. The girl's eyes were white and the Seal glowed brighter."

"I am the magic of Atlantis! And you made a mistake when you chose me for power! The Orichalcos always wins!"

The mad cackling frightened every Death Eater present, and the one who had stepped forwards, waved his wand.

"Avada Kedavra!"

Cali's body crumpled to the ground like a rag doll, and the Seal faded from her forehead as the magic left its vessel, leaving a used, broken and beaten girl in its wake.

OOO

_Dear Yugi_

_Eight days and counting (though by the time you get this it'll probably be one day), and then I'll be gone from the Dursley's forever. A few friends of Dumbledore's are coming to get me. I won't say exactly what time in case this letter goes astray._

_I'm staying with Ron until its time for the Championships. Hermione is trying to sort out accommodation for us. We'll let you know where we're staying closer to the time. I can't wait to see you guys again, and meet the rest of your friends (properly this time). I've enclosed the language patches for everyone – A friend of Dumbledore's, Mad-Eyed Moody, managed to get them for me. There's one for everyone who can't speak English._

_I've been writing to Ryou since he got back. Things seem stable – his father hasn't found out about Ryou's _significant other, _if you get my meaning. He sounds a bit depressed actually. He must really miss you guys. I haven't heard from Malik since he went back to Luxor, but obviously Hedwig can't be two places at once, so I haven't been able to write to him._

_Hermione says she's finished all the set homework for this year (Ron says she's mad). She is coming with the others to pick me up – it'll be a lot easier when I'm seventeen and I can apparate. That reminds me – since its Ryou's birthday in just over a month, and since you guys aren't coming back to Hogwarts, Ron, Hermione and I have decided to club together and get him something. We'll give it to him before the end of the World Championships._

_Taiyo is getting impatient, so I'll finish this up. I'll see you on the first of August!_

_All the best._

_Harry._

OOO

Yugi grinned and allowed Taiyo to nip his finger, as the barn owl regained his energy after his exhausting trip half way around the world and back. The letter was gripped between his thumb and middle finger, as the owl bit down gently on his index before returning to the water bowl. In Yugi's other hand, a curious voice was radiating from the phone.

"Yugi? Yugi? Are you still there?"

"Sorry Tea," Yugi apologised, placing the letter on the desk and turning back to his bed, upon which sat a half open suitcase, with most of the contents strewn around the blanket and pillow. Said contents were clothes for the most part, along with a couple of books on ancient Egyptian history, a duel disk, and a golden box with hieroglyphs on it, which was also open to reveal a small stack of playing cards.

"Its okay," the perky brunette on the end of the line said. "I was just worried – it's not like you to be silent for two minutes straight. I thought Yami had blown up the toaster or something."

Yugi laughed, remembering the fate that the microwave had suffered the previous week at the hands of his technologically inept darker half. "No he's downstairs shutting up the shop with Joey, and trying to figure out a Rubix cube Grandpa gave him. He reckons he can crack it before dinner. I was quiet because Taiyo just got back."

Tea's voice changed from curious to excited. "Oh good! How is everyone?"

"Fine from the sounds of it," Yugi said. "Harry's bored, but he's getting away from his relatives in a few days. He and Hermione are going to Ron's for Harry's birthday and then they're coming to London to see us."

Tea sounded cheered. "It'll be great to see them again. Especially under less trying circumstances."

Yugi winced, remembering the first time his friends from Domino had met his British friends, had been when Harry, Ron and Hermione had burst through the Ishtar's fireplace with news of Hogwarts being attacked.

"Yeah not the most suitable situation to meet people in," he agreed. "Speaking of London though, are you packed?"

"No!" came Tea's frustrated voice. "I just can't decide what to take and what to leave behind! I've never been to England, and I have no idea what the weather is going to do!"

"Pack for four seasons," Yugi said immediately.

"Are you sure?" Tea asked. "I mean it'll save me a lot of space if I can just…"

"Tea, trust me," Yugi said patiently. "It's England. Pack for four seasons."

Tea sighed. "I need some female friends. You boys don't get how hard it is for a girl to fit all she needs in one suitcase."

"You'll have Mai to talk to when we get to London," Yugi reminded her. "And Serenity. And Rebecca."

"Yeah, I guess," Yugi could tell from Tea's voice that she was not thrilled at spending time with Rebecca. He knew exactly why – the last time they had seen the eleven year old child genius at the KC Championships, she had had an unhealthy love of clinging to Yugi and proclaiming to the world that they were dating, much to Yugi's mortification and Tea's jealousy.

"And there's Hermione," Yugi added. "You'll be fine for female companionship. We're all going to have a great time!"

"Yeah," Tea sounded cheerful now. "It'll be great to see Ryou and Malik again too."

Yugi smiled. Malik had finally moved back to Luxor a few weeks after the end of the summer term at Domino High school. The Ishtars were back where they belonged now, though they still kept in close touch. Malik had been invited to the World Championships after one of the contestants had dropped out. The same was true of Ryou. Though they had not competed in any of the continental tournaments this year due to Hogwarts, they were still considered the fifth and fourth best duellists in the world since they had never officially lost their titles.

Ryou himself had stayed in Domino until two weeks previously before flying back to Britain to spend time with his father while he was on his recovery leave. Despite the excitement their friend had originally felt however, Yugi knew Ryou was not having a good time. His father was still burying himself in the paperwork that seemed to have multiplied during his coma, and Ryou was lonely and desperate for the World Championships to begin so that he could see his friends again. Apparently even Bakura was miserable and it was taking every ounce of control Ryou had not to let his darker half go on a mad killing spree in his new solid form, just to keep himself entertained.

The solid forms had been a source of fascination, and testing over the holidays, as the bearers and the spirits of the Items had spent time trying to find out their limitations. Answers had been quick to come about. The solid forms Yami and Bakura could sustain, were amounts of Shadow and Wizard magic, which locked onto their souls and fleshed them out, rather like water filling a sponge. These 'bodies' could not be held indefinitely, and would vanish after twenty-four hours, at which time the spirits had to return to their soul rooms for rest. The spirits could willingly give them up whenever they wanted however, and they were still linked to their hikaris and still able to take their bodies over too, when not in solid form.

This had of course given Yami and Bakura a lot more freedom, and both enjoyed it immensely. Yami was taking advantage of being able to learn more about the present day – often with disastrous results when it came to household appliances. And Bakura was using the opportunity to make mischief. Though for the most part, both spirits had to be subtle, as doubles of people were not everyday occurrences. So far only Yugi's friends and his grandfather knew about Yami, and much to Ryou's relief, his father had so far remained clueless about Bakura's existence.

"Yugi?"

"Hmm? Oh sorry Tea." Yugi blushed a furious shade of red, and was grateful that Tea could not see him.

"Am I distracting you?" his childhood friend asked.

"No," Yugi shook his head, his eyes landing on his open suitcase. "I was just thinking I should finish packing too if I want to be able to get to my bed tonight…" his eyes gleamed suddenly and he grinned. "Hey. Fancy a race?"

Tea laughed. "You're turning _packing _into a game, Yugi?"

"Why not?" Yugi asked, his cheeks flushing slightly. "It'll get it finished faster."

"SUCCESS!" Came a triumphant yell from downstairs, and Yugi clapped a hand over his free ear.

"Ow…" from the sounds of it, Tea had heard the exclamation on the other end of the line. "I take it Yami has finished his Rubix cube?"

"From the sounds of it," Yugi winced, rubbing his head before switching over to the mind-link. /_Yami, you're shouting_/

/_Sorry Aibou_/ the Pharaoh quietened down. /_Joey's locking up and I've just finished cashing the till. Are you still on the phone with Tea? Its been almost an hour_?/

/_It has?_/ Yugi checked his watch and gulped. /_Whoops! I didn't notice!_/

/_Enjoying yourself much?_/ Yami smirked. Yugi blew a mental raspberry.

/_Go back to celebrating Pharaoh_/

Tea was chuckling.

"Okay Yugi, I'm game. Since all I need to do is choose which clothes to leave behind and repack, I'm sure I can win this one!"

Yugi was grinning wider now. "We'll see. Whoever packs slowest has to buy the other a drink when we get to Britain."

"I'm not legal in Britain until two weeks after the end of the World Championships," Tea reminded him.

"Okay, I'm buying, you're paying me back," Yugi shrugged.

"That's if you win Yugi," Tea smirked.

"I'll win," Yugi said confidently. "I promise you that."

"Well then I'll see you tomorrow morning!" Tea said. "Sleep well. And happy packing!"

"Bye Tea! Game start!" Yugi proclaimed as he made to hang up. He heard Tea laughing as the line went dead.

"So you were enjoying yourself?" Came a smug voice from the doorway. Yugi turned to see his darker half framed there, his arms folded and a smirk on his face. Yugi's face went cherry red.

"Quite Other Me," he scolded. Yami chuckled and tossed a small complete Rubix cube idly in his hands. Teasing his Aibou was so much fun.

"Are we all set for tomorrow?"

"Not really," Yugi said honestly, picking up his clothes and throwing them into his case.

"Don't forget to pack the disk," Yami reminded him.

"No way!" Yugi said, throwing said Duel Disk into the suitcase on top of a pile of underwear. "Kaiba would never let us live it down!"

The phone rang again. Assuming it to be Tea, calling to tell him something she had forgotten, Yugi picked it up without looking at the caller ID.

"I'm not finished yet Tea, and I refuse to believe you have too."

"Do I sound like your girlfriend, Midget?!"

Yugi blushed heavily.

"Bakura!" he dropped his voice and tried to sound less mortified. "Tea is not my girlfriend!"

"Coulda fooled me," Came the irritated reply. "Is his Royal Shortness there?"

Yami, who had heard all this through the open mind-link, strode towards the phone and took it from Yugi.

"Don't insult us, Thief," he snapped. "What do you want?"

"Information," Bakura got straight to the point. "Who aside from the old man –"

"Professor Dumbledore, Bakura," Ryou corrected immediately. From the sounds of it, the phone was on speaker.

"Yes, him," Bakura amended. "Who else knew we were the ones who took down the Leviathan?"

Yami frowned. "The school faculty were informed of course, and all the members of the DA are aware, but they don't know how we did it. The teachers know we used our own magic, but they don't know the exact details either. Why?"

"The Daily Prophet this morning," Bakura said, and there was a rustle of paper on the other end, that indicated the thief had just picked the aforementioned item up. "Page one had details on the latest attack on St Mungos…"

"Another one," Yami sighed, and Yugi looked horrified. The Death Eaters had been keeping up a stream of small attacks on public places recently, presumably reminding everyone that they were still alive. Not two weeks ago Kings Cross had been attacked at rush hour, causing hundreds of casualties.

"Ra spare those poor people."

"Will you let me finish?" Bakura snapped petulantly. "Page one was all about the attack, but page two column four was the last of the trials for the Death Eaters at Hogwarts, and then page three was all about the investigation."

Yami groaned.

"So they're actually investigating?" Yugi asked, taking the phone from his dark and putting it on speaker so he didn't have to eavesdrop through the mind-link.

"Unfortunately yes," Bakura said. "And worse, I've been poking around some of my contacts, and someone in the DA mentioned the duel monsters running around collecting the Orichalcos stones. And since we're the ones that introduced them to the school in the first place, they're investigating us now too."

"Who blabbed?" Yugi asked.

"No idea," Ryou chimed in. "That's what me and Bakura are going to find out tonight."

"And you're going to do this how?" Yami asked, his eyebrows arching above crimson eyes. Yugi liked his darker half's eyes. Yami and Bakura's solid forms were supposedly replicas of how they had looked five thousand years ago (minus the tan because they had been trapped in the darkness for five thousand years). Thus Yami was a few inches taller than Yugi, with hair that was almost identical, only with blonde shooting through his spikes instead of flopping down in his face. His eyes were narrower than Yugi's, but like Bakura's they were red. Yugi knew that Yami's eyes had been purple in his past life, and Bakura's blue, but both of them were red now, almost as a permanent reminder of their past sins.

"Break into the Ministry?" Yugi suggested.

"No way!" Ryou sounded horrified and Bakura laughed.

"Good idea Shrimp, but not nearly so crude. We're heading for Knockturn Alley to see if we can dig up any information. I have a few acquaintances I can check in with."

"You didn't waste any time making friends," Yami summarised.

"I wouldn't say friends," Bakura said in an offhand manner. "But information is a useful weapon, especially when you are dealing with a world so seeped in shady dealings."

"Well be careful," Yugi cautioned. "We'd like to see you both at the World Championships in one piece."

"So you can lose to us in a defeat so humiliating that you will retire from duelling permanently?" Bakura asked hopefully.

"Go jump in front of a bus Bakura," Yami said, before turning and leaving the room.

/_I'm going to see Joey off_/ he informed his hikari.

/_Got it_/ Yugi nodded. He knew Joey was heading to the station to pick Serenity up. She and her brother were staying the night with Yugi before they headed off the next morning.

"I'm sorry Yugi," Ryou took the phone.

"Don't worry about it," Yugi shrugged. "I've got used to Bakura now – so much in fact I think I would be worried if he wasn't insulting us…so how are things with you?"

"Good," Ryou said, his voice falsely cheerful. It didn't fool Yugi at all.

"No Ryou, how are things _really_?"

There was a long pause, and then a sigh on the other end.

"Stressful," the white haired hikari admitted. "I'm so glad we're heading for the Championships in two days. I don't think I could hold Bakura back from causing chaos for too much longer. I'm glad in a way we decided to go to London today – he's got the chance to sneak around with a legitimate reason."

"What are you doing awake so early anyway?" Yugi asked checking his watch. It was ten minutes past six in the evening in Japan, which meant in England it was… "Its ten past six in the morning for you."

"I can't sleep in this house," Ryou admitted. "Too many memories."

Yugi felt a wave of sympathy. He knew Ryou and his father were staying in their old family home, the place Ryou had lived before the Ring had come to him and he had been forced to move to Japan. It must have a lot of memories of his mother and sister before they died.

"And besides," Ryou continued briskly. "It's probably a good thing – father is still sleeping, so Bakura doesn't have to worry so much about getting caught."

"He still doesn't know?" Yugi asked.

"No and it's going to stay that way," Ryou said firmly. "It would go down like a sack of bricks on a mouse. Even if he did believe it, he would never be able to accept it. He's an academic, and spirits possessing teenagers does not conform to any known physical laws."

/_Academic?!_/ Bakura snorted. /_Your father is a glorified tomb robber!_/

/_Pot kettle black, Thief King_/ Ryou spat back irritably. He was getting annoyed with Bakura's constant jabs at his only living relative.

"I suppose you do have to see it to believe it," Yugi agreed. "The only reason Grandpa was not surprised was because he's the one that studied the Shadow Games and found the Puzzle in the first place."

"Well father won't be finding out," Ryou repeated. "So long as Bakura doesn't draw attention to himself – _again_ – we will be fine."

/_That wasn't my fault Ryou!_/

/_Tell that to the bar staff at the Royal Oak!_/ Ryou retorted, referring to an incident a week past when Bakura had wound up in a fight at a local pub, and almost got himself arrested.

/_I am no stranger to bar fights Hikari_/ Bakura said patiently.

/_Yes but you are a stranger to modern police, and I'd like it to stay that way!_/

"You will be," Yugi assured him. "And we'll see you in a couple of days. We're going to have a blast in London!"

"I hope so," Ryou agreed. "It seems every tournament we go to winds up in disaster."

"Don't worry," Yugi grinned. "I've had Rebecca check all the competitors for me, and none of them have any connections to Egypt, the Orichalcos or Death Eaters. Everyone has clean records, and the two that dropped out did so for legitimate reasons. It should be a good, fun tournament if all goes well."

"It'll be nice," Ryou acquiesced. "To have a game just for fun-"

He broke off suddenly and Yugi was surprised to hear a low "MROW!" from the other end of the line. Ryou huffed.

"Yes, yes Bastet. I'm coming...you'd better not pester Mrs Wilson like this when she comes to feed you next week. Grumpy puss..."

Yugi laughed. It sounded like someone was hungry. "You'd be a grumpy puss too if you looked like you'd swallowed a balloon! When's she due again?"

"Two weeks," Ryou reported. "But I don't care what the vet says. I don't think she's going to wait much longer." He sounded worried. "I hope she does hang on – I don't want her to have them while we're at the Championships –"

"MROW!"

"Alright!" Ryou sounded positively tetchy by this point, and Yugi heard him huffing as he moved to get food. "I'd better go feed her again before we go out."

"And I'd better finish packing," Yugi commented. "But I will see you in two days!"

"Bye Yugi."

Setting the phone back down on the table, Yugi turned back to his suitcase, putting his game face on as he remembered that he had a bet to win. Now what else hadn't he packed…

/_Toothbrush Aibou_/ Yami reminded.

"Oh yes!"

OOO

Harry Potter paced his room restlessly, the amber eyes of Hedwig fixed on his form. The snowy owl was most displeased about being shut in her cage, but Harry was too distracted to pay her any heed. There was a happy bubble in his stomach as he watched the hands of the clock tick slowly round, each one getting him a second closer to leaving Number Four.

He could hardly believe this day had come – it was July 30th and he was a day away from turning seventeen – a legal adult in the eyes of the wizarding world. There had been a time in his life when he had feared he would be doomed to stay in this house forever…or kicked out on the streets at sixteen and forced to survive on his own. Hogwarts might have brought its share of dangers into his life, but it had ultimately given him the ability to survive on his own.

On cue, the doorbell rang and the bellowing voice of his uncle echoed up the staircase, making the door rattle slightly.

"BOY! GET THE DOOR!"

Beaming, Harry shot down the stairs, almost ploughing over Dudley, who looked surprised to see his cousin so keen to answer the door. Harry wrenched it open and was immediately tackled by a mane of bushy brown hair.

"Harry! It's so good to see you!"

Harry laughed and hugged Hermione tighter. Behind him, Dudley's jaw dropped open, and he waddled as fast as he could into the kitchen.

"Dad! It's his freak friends!"

Hermione heard this and released Harry, with a frown.

"Wow…Ron really wasn't kidding when he said they were rude!"

Harry grinned, and looked behind Hermione to see Mad-Eyed Moody and Remus Lupin standing in the doorway. Moody's head was flicking back and forth down the street as though he expected Death Eaters to jump out and attack any second. Remus was watching the scene in the hall with a face of amusement.

"Ready to go Harry?"

"Yeah," Harry nodded. "Just need to get my trunk."

"Ah Mr. Dursley," Remus's voice was light and pleasant as Uncle Vernon appeared in the doorway of the kitchen, his face a furious purple. "Before we leave I should run over the safety precautions we shall be laying around your house…"

"S-safety precautions?" Uncle Vernon's voice was incredulous.

"Yes," Remus nodded simply. "Since Harry is moving out the protective charms around the house will break once he leaves so we are taking temporary measures to protect you and your family once he is gone…"

Vernon's bewilderment increased. "He's leaving?" There was now a significant note of hopefulness in that voice.

Resisting the urge to laugh at the stupefied expression on his uncle's face, Harry led Hermione upstairs to his room, which had been stripped bare of all his possessions, leaving only Dudley's old broken toys as the testament to the room's use.

"Wow…" Hermione remarked. "It's…"

"Small?" Harry chuckled. "You didn't believe Ron when he told you that either did you? Believe me it was smaller a week ago before I started packing. You would not believe the number of old Daily Prophets and lesson notes I threw out to make room in my trunk for everything."

Hedwig hooted as Hermione stroked her head before picking up the cage.

"I'll take Hedwig. Are you okay with your trunk?"

"Yeah," Harry nodded; taking the end and feeling six years worth of possessions weigh it down heavily. He hoped he could at least make it down the stairs without breaking his neck.

"I got a letter from Ryou yesterday," Hermoine said, as they went down the stairs. "It had all the details for where they're staying in London during the Championships."

"No room for us?" Harry asked hopefully, feeling his trunk jerk with each step. "Or are we staying at the Burrow and commuting to London each day?"

"No room at the hotel," Hermione shook her head. "Each competitor is only allowed one guest, and with all their friends it's going to be a big group."

"So we are commuting in?" Harry asked, feeling a slight sense of dread.

"No need. I've booked us all rooms at the Leaky Cauldron," Hermione said. "I was lucky to get them too. I didn't realise just how popular Duel Monsters had got in the Wizarding World, but Yugi, Ryou and Malik really started something big while they were at Hogwarts. The Leaky Cauldron was almost booked up. People have been trying to get last minute tickets so they can go watch."

Harry was impressed. In just a year, their friends had started a popular trend. But it was not just the Wizarding World. He knew for a fact that Dudley had recently got into the game as well, and the local newsagents had just started selling booster packs. After several years in Japan and the United States, it looked as though Duel Monsters was finally hitting Britain, and it couldn't have hit at a better time.

By the door, Remus had finished explaining the new protection spells that were being set up around the house, and Uncle Vernon's face had gone from purple to a more normal tone, now that it was clear that Harry was leaving permanently.

"Ah good timing!" Remus smiled, taking Hedwig from Hermoine.

"How are we getting to the Burrow?" Harry asked.

"Side-Along apparition," Hermione said. "You're going with Remus."

"For Gods sake hurry up!" Moody snapped from the door.

"Okay Alastor," Remus soothed. "Give Harry five minutes to say goodbye."

"That won't be necessary," Harry said quickly. Remus raised an eyebrow, but he knew something of how strained the relationship between Harry and his relatives was, so he just sighed, and took Harry's trunk.

"Very well. Let's move."

Hermione left behind him. Harry turned to face the Dursley's for what would probably be the last time. All three of them stood semi frozen in the doorway.

"See you then!" Harry said, unable to keep the smile off his face. He could tell his Uncle was thinking "_I bloody well hope not_" but he didn't really care. Petunia's face was somewhat conflicted, as though she couldn't make up her mind how to feel. Dudley just looked down at the floor.

Harry closed the house door behind him, and hurried across the road. He assumed this was far enough away from the house to apparate without setting off the protective enchantments – not that it would matter since he was leaving now. Moody stood with Harry's trunk, and Hermione had her belongings alongside herself.

"Ready everyone?" Moody asked. Remus offered his arm, and Harry took it.

"Hold on tight Harry."

"Three…two…one…"

And Privet Drive vanished from Harry's sight for the last time.

OOO

True to what he had said to Yugi that morning, Ryou and Bakura arrived in London at five minutes past seven that evening. London Waterloo was still crowded with people, but the rush hour was over, and so were the waves of commuters desperate to catch the train's home and put their feet up.

For the two white haired males, their jobs were only just beginning.

/_So do we have a plan?_/ Ryou asked, as they headed for the Underground.

/_I'm thinking we hit the Leaky Cauldron, and then Knockturn Alley_/ Bakura explained, glaring at anyone who came close to him. Several businessmen heading in the other direction, muttered something about "youth these days" and were rewarded with a deadly stare that sent them scurrying into the station.

Ryou had to admit, up close his dark was menacing. He was dressed in black jeans, boots and a blood red shirt under his black trenchcoat. Ryou knew beneath those clothes, he was armed to the teeth, with a knife in his belt, two strapped to his wrists beneath his sleeves, and another concealed in his boot. He had a look in his crimson eyes that warned people not to get in his way if they knew what was good for them.

Ryou was similarly clad, only his jeans and shirt were blue, and his jacket was grey. Unlike his dark, whose hair fell into messy downward pointing spikes, two of which sprouted into horn like formations at the front, Ryou had taken to tying his hair back out of his face. It had made telling he and Bakura apart easier when they had both still been in Domino, and his dark had got sick of Ryou's friends greeting him with a slap on the shoulder, thinking he was the mild mannered hikari. He fell into step beside Bakura, making sure to stick close as they made their way through the ticket barriers, and down the stairs for the Bakerloo line.

/_I hate Knockturn Alley_/ Ryou muttered. It was true. His last encounter with that place had left Bakura and Malik being chased by an angry group of magical beings, which while humorous now, had been slightly scary for him at the time.

/_Relax Hikari_/ Bakura smirked, showing a set of pointed canines. /_Just don't talk to strangers, and leave everything that looks dangerous to me_/

There was a draft of wind that came down the tunnel, causing the shorter bits of Ryou's hair to escape the hair tie.

/_Train is here_/ he stated needlessly, as the rumbling engine got closer, and the people on the platform started to make their way forward. /_And what danger? I thought we were going incognito tonight?_/

/_We are_/ Bakura agreed, as the train rushed into view. /_But its good to always be prepared for a fight…you are prepared aren't you?_/ He gave Ryou a piercing look.

/_You know perfectly well I am_/ Ryou said huffily. /_I have the Ring, and my wand, and you all but forced that knife on me earlier…_/

/_You'll thank me when you have to use it_/ Bakura promised, as they both boarded the train and took seats by the door. There was a hiss as they slid shut and a rumble as they started moving. /_You'll be fine if anyone tries anything with you_/

Ryou fingered the Ring, which was beneath his shirt – wearing it outside on full display was just asking to be mugged at this time of night. It had also been discovered over the course of the summer, that Yugi and Ryou had to be in possession of the Items in order for Yami and Bakura to be able to conjure their solid forms. This had been learnt the hard way, when Bakura had been wearing the Ring, and had barely made it out of the house before he was unable to hold himself together and disintegrated, his soul returning to its usual place in Ryou's mind. Thankfully in the time it took for Bakura to wake his dozing hikari and get him down to the doorstep, no one had made off with the Ring, which had sat there on the ground twinkling innocently. From then on, Ryou kept the Ring around his neck, and Bakura's magic in his physical projection was restricted to summoning monsters – much to his disgust.

A group of three girls were seated on the opposite side of the train, and had begun a hushed conversation as soon as Ryou and Bakura had appeared. Ryou groaned mentally as he saw one of them giggling. They were dressed for a night out, and from the looks they were sending him; he knew that they were no different from his fangirls at home. Two seats down, a harassed looking mother was clutching her squirming toddler in her lap. Bakura rolled his eyes. He hated kids. Not only did there always seem to be one little brat throwing a tantrum in every public venue he visited, but there was always at least one kid a week going up to him, tugging on his jacket and asking for a present, thinking he was Santa Clause. It pissed him off to no end.

Thinking of kids however, turned his thoughts inward to something close to his heart – his sister. His sister who he knew now waited for him just before the Hall of Judgement. His mother and other sisters waited in Aaru for them both to join. He still could not believe it from time to time – thinking that the whole trip the Dominion of Souls had been a vision cooked up by his rattled mind after that exhausting battle. But it was the truth. Akila – slightly timid, but brave, four year old Akila – had chosen to wait five thousand years for her big brother, just so he would not have to go through judgement on his own. The thought moved him more than anything in the past five thousand years had.

He looked to his side at Ryou. He knew the trip to the other dimension had had its effect on Ryou too. Ryou had seemed more at peace with Amane's death than Bakura had ever seen him. To some degree, it seemed to comfort the young man, who had never had many friends, had lived most of his life alone, and part of it with fear of the malignant spirit in his head, to know that a loved one waited for him, and that when he did die (Ra forbid that happen soon) he would have a smiling face waiting on the other side.

Being back in England however, had killed most of Ryou's good spirits. Bakura's eyes narrowed at the thought. He hated that house. He hated that _man _who called himself Ryou's father. And he hated this damn country. Even with one of the hottest summers on record, it still felt chilly to him. He never thought he would miss Japan, and he certainly never thought he would miss some of the people Ryou hung out with. Yet he had found himself on more than one occasion wishing for Malik to mess around with or the Pharaoh to have a sniping match with. They were twisted relationships –but they were some of the very few that Bakura actually had in this life.

"Hey there boys…" a sultry voice purred in his ear, and Bakura's scowl deepened as he realised that two of the girls had seated themselves on either side of he and Ryou, and were now pressing themselves against them in a manner that was borderline indecent. Ryou was squirming as the girl at his side slipped an arm around his shoulders, and the girl on Bakura's side suddenly found herself on the receiving end of a lethal red glare.

"Touch me, I break your fucking arm off," the thief hissed. The girl recoiled, and her companion looked up from smiling at Ryou, with a face that expressed surprise.

"No need to be so hostile," she said. "We're just trying to be friendly…"

Bakura rolled his eyes and yanked Ryou away from his admirer. "We're not interested," he said firmly. Ryou looked as though he didn't know where he wanted to be – sitting closer to the young woman who was doing her best to look seductively at his dark, or sitting closer to Bakura, and risking getting caught in the fire when he inevitably unleashed his anger.

"You might not be," the first woman said. "But I'm sure your friend can speak for himself. He doesn't need his big brother to dictate what he does."

Bakura almost choked. It wasn't the fact that he and Ryou had been mistaken for siblings (that happened quite a bit these days) but it was the sheer persistence of these two women that surprised him. He was sure people weren't this persistent in his time, unless it was a festival…but that brought up memories he would rather leave buried, so he focused instead on the situation at hand.

"Please just leave us alone," Ryou said politely, but surprisingly firmly. "We really aren't interested."

Far from being dissuaded, both girls smiled and the one closest to Ryou let out a giggle.

"You're so polite...you wouldn't leave two ladies alone on a night out would you?"

She accompanied this with a flutter of her eyelashes, and Bakura finally snapped, getting to his feet and seizing Ryou's arm. Outside the window, the train was pulling to a stop at Charing Cross.

"I don't see any ladies," Bakura growled, the tint in his eyes becoming more pronounced. "I see two desperate whores who don't know the meaning of the word no. Now I'll reiterate for the last time – fuck off, we're not interested."

The mother two seats away covered her toddler's ears, and glared reprovingly at the angered white haired male, but Bakura didn't care. He was already dragging his blushing light out of the train and onto the platform.

"That was really rude Bakura," Ryou reprimanded. Bakura rolled his eyes.

"You're too nice Ryou," he retorted. "Now let's go before we get eyed up by anyone else."

Ryou frowned at his dark as they ascended the staircase, allowing his mind to brush against the fringes of his dark's, picking up thoughts and memories – some recent, that he recognised, and some unfamiliar and old that he did not recognise, before Bakura's thoughts turned to the task at hand. Ryou sighed. He knew Bakura better than he had a year ago, but he had a hunch he would never figure the ancient spirit out completely. No one could.

OOO

Yugi yawned and scratched his head. He really did not like early mornings, and he had not had a lot of sleep the previous night – truthfully he had been too excited to settle down properly. Despite the early hour, the airport remained as busy as ever, and Yugi mentally cursed the tourist season, which would force him and his friends to change at Paris en route to Heathrow, and consequently add about eight hours to their travelling time. He was already looking forward to getting to Britain and seeing Malik, Ryou and (to some extent) Bakura again.

By his side stood Joey, who looked just as eager to get on the plane as Yugi did. Taller than Yugi by a head, but ironically younger than him by seven months, Joey was often a picture of boundless energy, blonde hair falling carelessly into his eyes, which were wide with enthusiasm. As he turned to look at Yugi, a wide grin bloomed on his face, and Yugi had to smile back. Serenity, who stood by his side shouldering her hand luggage, had given up trying to calm Joey's hyperactive bounce, and was just letting him be. She had not changed much since the last time Yugi had seen her in Battle City. She was still soft spoken and kind to everyone – though her first reaction to seeing everyone again had been an enthusiastic hug.

Tristan and Tea were being hugged by their respective parents. Neither of them had changed much in the last year, a fact for which Yugi was grateful. He would have hated to miss any changes in his friend's lives while he had been at Hogwarts. Tea let out a laugh as her mother warned her to watch out for any nice English boys. The sound made Yugi smile. Tea was still the same outgoing brunette who had been his friend since childhood. Her blue eyes shone with infectious excitement. By her side, Tristan had finished being hugged, and was being given a list of things to buy for his parents when he came through duty free on the way back from England. He was shaking his head, but pocketed the list regardless. His hair, normally spiked to a point at the front, was a little bit messy thanks to the early morning start.

Solomon had already given both Yugi and Joey their goodbyes and was now advising them on keeping their seatbelts on during takeoff, and not to use electronics until the seatbelt sign was off. Joey's father had not shown up to say goodbye, but that was to be expected. Yugi was sceptical of whether the man even knew his son was heading for Britain for a week. It was probably a good thing he was not around to see them off – Joey would sooner praise Kaiba than let his father anywhere near Serenity.

Yugi checked his watch. It was twenty past nine in the morning. He did a quick calculation of the time, and wondered whether Bakura and Ryou were in London, and whether they had found anything yet.

"…And remember to let your drinks settle before opening the cans-"

"Thanks Gramps!" Joey interrupted swiftly. "We'll bear that in mind."

"And duel your hardest!" Solomon added. "I'll be watching you boys!"

"We know," Yugi nodded, as Tea untangled herself from her mother's embrace and joined them.

"Ready to go?" Tea was smiling just as much as the rest of them, and Yugi couldn't help but feel cheerful.

"Sure!" he replied. "Ready Tristan?"

"Am I ever!" hazel eyes twinkled, and Tristan joined the group. "Time to join the line?" He nodded at the queues for security.

"Time to join the queue," Yugi confirmed, grinning at his friends. All five of them waved to their family members, before heading towards the door. Serenity fell into step beside Tea, and both began listing off all the sights in London that they wanted to see. Yugi's heart felt light. He had missed everyone during his time at Hogwarts, and the prospect of spending an entire week with them was thrilling. Tea broke off her conversation with Serenity, and gave him a smile as though she knew what he was thinking.

"Excited to be going back?" she asked.

"Yup," Yugi nodded. "Going back with you guys is even better though!"

"I can't wait to see England!" Tea enthused as they stood at the back of the security queue.

"Me too," Tristan added, before looking down at the shortest member of the group. "Hey Yugi, you did remember those language thingies didn't you?"

"The language patches?" Yugi asked. "Yeah they're in my bag," he gestured to his rucksack. Aside from Tea, he was the only one taking hand luggage. "I'll give them to you when we get to Paris."

"They don't help you guys speak French though," Joey pointed out. "Just English."

"Well yeah," Yugi admitted. "But you're more likely to need English than Japanese in Paris."

"This tournament is gonna rock!" Joey was almost bouncing with excitement. "I'm gonna beat Kaiba in this one! I can feel it!"

"Yeah yeah," Tristan rolled his eyes. "We all know why you're really excited. It's because you get to see a certain blonde someone who we all know you totally have it bad for…"

"Zip it!" Joey warned, but a pinch of colour had appeared in his cheeks.

"No fighting in the airport you two!" Tea said firmly, noticing the disapproving looks they were getting from the security guards at the head of the queue.

"Mai is meeting us at Heathrow, right?" Serenity queried.

"Yup," Joey answered immediately. "She's been there for a few days already. She was staying in Italy during the European Championships and she was arranging for the last of her stuff to get moved back to Japan."

"Oh good!" Serenity was thrilled. "It would be great if she lived nearby! I'd love to see her more often!"

Joey was grinning. He knew Mai was like a big sister to Serenity, and it would be wonderful if she moved permanently back to Japan.

"Who else do we know is going to be there?" Tristan asked.

"Rebecca and Duke are on the last flight in from San Francisco tomorrow," Yugi remembered. "I'm not sure about anyone else. Kaiba will make his own way there, so who knows when he'll show up."

"He'll park his Blue Eyes White Jet on the roof of the hotel if he can," Joey snorted. "Rich Boy loves to make an entrance."

"Who else?" Tea asked, placing her hand luggage on the belt for the scanner, and removing her shoes.

"Ryou's getting the train up tomorrow," Yugi recalled. "And Malik is flying in tomorrow morning from Luxor."

"Are they bringing their families?" Serenity asked. She knew each duellist was entitled to bring one guest with them.

"I don't think so," Yugi shook his head. "Ryou's father is…well I think he's working. And Ishizu can't get time off so Odion is staying with her."

He slipped through the metal detector, which thankfully did not go off. As he collected his bag however, his phone rang in his pocket. Puzzled, as most of his friends were here with him, Yugi checked the ID, and his eyes immediately turned crimson. Yami recognised the number and he answered it quickly.

"Bakura, this better be important. International calls don't come cheap."

"Then stop talking Pharaoh," Bakura growled. "You may have some Aurors trailing you when you get to Heathrow. Hikari and I heard them mention it in the Leaky Cauldron."

"Where's Ryou now?" Yami asked, his voice low and intense, causing everyone else to look at him with worried expressions.

"Tailing the Auror," Bakura said. "I'm heading down Knockturn Alley. Have a good flight."

And he hung up.

Yami scowled.

"Bye then," he muttered sarcastically, before shoving the phone back in Yugi's pocket.

OOO

They had been lucky to strike gold within an hour of arriving in the pub, but Ryou was sure their luck was going to run out soon. He had been tailing the Auror for ten minutes, but the man's actions were erratic.

"_Anyone who works for the Ministry or the Daily Prophet," _had been Bakura's instructions. "_I want to know how our names got to the Ministry when no one else knew about our connection to the Leviathan."_

Of course no one knew about Bakura's corporal form other than their friends in Japan, so it was Ryou's name that the Ministry had, and not Bakura's, but it did not sit well with either of them. If the Ministry could dig up the fact that Yugi, Ryou and Malik had something to do with the rotting Leviathan carcass at the bottom of Hogwarts Lake, then what if they could dig up information about their admittance to Hogwarts and the circumstances around their introduction to the magical world? If they found out about their Shadow Magic, that would really complicate matters. The last thing any of the bearers wanted was idiotic Aurors arresting them for wielding a dangerous, unknown and (in their minds) dark power.

Ryou crept down the streets of London, praying that he could remember the way back. He had been in London a lot over the last few weeks, making trips in with his father while the elder went to pick up work. Ryou himself had wandered around the magical world (his father had no interest in coming, saying that he saw enough strange new things in his work) using the time as an opportunity to gather information, and for Bakura to make some contacts in the magical criminal underworld.

The pavements were dark and grimy, and dimly the thumping sounds of club music could be heard from the next street over. Ryou knew the streets would be quiet around this time of night, with everyone having made their way to whichever pub or club they were planning on wasting the night away in.

The Auror turned off down an alley, and Ryou paused for a few seconds before sprinting silently down the pavement and pressing his back into the wall. There was a club the next street over, and Ryou could faintly hear the dull thud of the music, but the man's footsteps were still audible. It did not sound like they were moving away. Rather they were regular, and from the same distance. Ryou realised the man was pacing. He inched his head around just a little, and sure enough, he saw the Auror waiting, working his frustration and anxiety out into his footsteps.

Who was he waiting for? And why down a dark alley?

A dark alley in the middle of the night…

A dark alley where noise was muffled by the sound from the club in the next street…

A second before he was struck, Ryou realised his mistake.

"_Impedimenta!_"

He pitched forwards from the force of the spell, his whole body freezing up. Ryou felt the cold concrete under his hands, and the dirt mark itself on the knees of his jeans. There were a pair of footsteps coming from behind him, and the Auror in the alley had heard the commotion and was now approaching.

"You were followed Adams," one of the voices behind him said, in an obvious tone. The Auror, Adams rolled his eyes. He wore a dark cloak that concealed most of his body, and he had a hood over his head, but his face and steel coloured eyes were visible.

"Just a kid," Adams spat at Ryou. "He's been following me all night. Doesn't look a day out of Hogwarts if you ask me."

"Who is he?" a second voice asked, and Ryou mentally cursed, wishing he could turn around and at least see the people behind him. He focused on their voices instead. The first voice was deep, and the accent was Estuary English. The second sounded foreign, and the accent was thick, but Ryou couldn't place the country of origin, though he was sure he had heard it before.

/_Bakura, get down here!_/

OOO

Bakura was annoyed. His contacts were turning up naught, and he knew he was being followed. He had felt it ever since leaving the Leaky Cauldron, and trusting his instincts implicitly, he knew the person was not a Death Eater. Otherwise they would have pounced on him in Knockturn Alley where there were no witnesses to care if you screamed. He had made sure to be out of sight when he met the few contacts he had made – most of them were thieves or people who worked in Knockturn Alley, and Bakura knew for the best information you often had to go to the people who had nothing to lose from owning it.

He adjusted his hood. He wore it when he was in Knockturn Alley mostly to keep a low profile, but also because it was nostalgic and reminded him of having to keep his hair covered in Egypt. White hair was too distinguishable, and marked him immediately as a foreigner or sometimes as a demon child, and he had learned quickly not to draw attention to it. Here, while no one called him a demon, he still had to keep unnoticed, not just for his sake, but for Ryou's too. For that purpose, his contacts knew him only by the name of "Set".

No information here tonight though. All that was left to do was track down his hikari and find out where the Auror had gone…but first…

He swung around the corner and pressed into the wall, his knife in his hand, waiting and ready. As his stalker rounded the corner, Bakura leaped from the shadows, grabbing the man's throat and pinned him to the wall. The smell of sweat and stale tobacco assaulted his senses, and his knife went for the man's exposed flesh.

"Gerroff me! Gerroff you psycho!"

Bakura's hand went still. He could hazard a very good guess at who this man was.

"Mundungus Fletcher I assume."

The man paled further.

"How d'you know my name?"

"I know many things," Bakura said, before dropping his voice to a whisper. "I know you're Dumbledore's man. Why would you be spying on me? And before you answer that question…" he pressed the knife harder into Mundungus's windpipe. "Think _very _hard."

"Dumbledore said…" Mundungus choked. "Ministry is watchin' you. Keep an eye on you and make sure you don't get in to trouble…"

Bakura's rage ignited, not at the man in front of him, but at Dumbledore for thinking they needed watching.

"Why are the Ministry watching us?" he demanded. "Is it because of the Investigation at the school?"

"Yeah…" Mundungus gasped out. "But they've started testin' them stones too…"

He was cut off as Bakura's grip tightened in unrestrained anger.

"What stones? The Orichalcos stones?!"

"Yeah, them things…" Mundungus was going purple now. Bakura was about to ask further, when Ryou's panic rippled down the link.

/_Bakura get down here_!/

Hissing like an angry cat, Bakura released Mundungus.

"Tell Dumbledore we don't need watching!" he snapped, before sprinting back to the Leaky Cauldron, and hoping his hikari had not gone far.

OOO

Ryou was scared. That was understandable given his current situation. He was dealing with it by concentrating on getting the feeling back into his limbs…preferably before the men above him finished their debate about what to do with him.

"I say we just kill him," the first man said.

"I say no," Adams was snapping. "I say I take him to the Ministry. If he's Hogwarts age he might have information we need."

There was a silence, and Ryou concluded that the other two men were confused.

"You mean relating to the Dark Lord's disappearance?" the second asked, and he yelped as the first one blasted him with a hex.

"Mind your tongue muggle! Don't forget by whose hand you are still free!"

Ryou started. The second man, with the familiar accent was a muggle?! And the first man had to be a Death Eater! But what was an Auror of the Ministry doing with them?!

"I've had enough of this," the first man continued. "All of you stand aside!"

"Or else you'll do what?"

Ryou breathed a sigh of relief as his dark strode into view. He had removed his hood, and his horns of hair were spiking demonically, his eyes promising pain to the three men standing over his hikari. His coat flapped by his ankles, the only noise he made alongside steady breathing.

"Shit, the kid's got backup," Adams hissed.

"Avada Kedavra!" the first man whipped around, his wand pointing at Bakura. Ryou squeaked in fear, his now unfrozen hands flying to cover his mouth, but he need not have worried. The thief lazily activated a card from within his pocket, and the three priestesses of Waboku appeared, causing the attack to fizzle out. For the first time, fear entered the Death Eaters eyes, and Adams pulled out his wand.

"Who are you?!"

Bakura sneered at him. "I am the darkness…and now you will die!"

He went for Adams first, but the Auror moved faster than anyone thought possible, disapperating before Bakura could pull a card or his knife. Ryou got achingly to his feet as the thief turned on the muggle who was running as fast as he could away from the alley. Bakura summoned Dark Necrofear, and was about to order her to give chase, when Ryou was snatched up and a wand was jabbed uncomfortably into his windpipe.

"Call off your creature!" the Death Eater snapped. "Or I kill your friend!"

Bakura was breathing deeply through his teeth, and Dark Necrofear looked angered. Ryou knew the second Bakura stood down his arms they were both as good as dead. He couldn't let his yami die…

The knife handle was cool against his palm.

He dropped his shoulder and thrust the blade into the exposed flesh. Blood spurted from the Death Eater's shoulder, falling in a shower of crimson over Ryou's jacket. The man's grip slackened, giving Ryou enough leverage to turn and drive the knife into the man's throat. He fell with a gurgling noise to his knees, as his life's blood poured from his severed artery.

"Ryou…" Bakura hurried forwards, ordering Dark Necrofear to keep an eye out, with a quick bark of Egyptian. Ryou had sunk to the ground, the knife still clenched in his shaking fist. "Ryou, it's okay. Let go…"

Gently the yami prised the shocked young man's fingers open and took the knife from him, sliding it into his own belt. Ryou's hands were soaked in blood, tainting his pale skin crimson. They shook as Bakura took them both and pulled him to his feet.

"Come on," he said. "We can't stay here."

He took his trenchcoat off and placed it over Ryou's shoulders to hide as many of the bloodstains as he could, but they did not disguise the ones on the hikari's face, nor on both their hands. Ryou's trembling was getting worse, and as they left the alley and returned to the street, he doubled up and retched in the gutter. Bakura rubbed his back soothingly, nodding at Dark Necrofear, who looked on sympathetically.

"Check the man's body for ID," he ordered. "And then get rid of it. And the blood."

The monster nodded, heading back into the alley. Bakura did not want anyone to find out about this murder. He quickly scanned the area, and saw no CCTV cameras that would give them away. The nearest one only caught the corner of the kerb, and if anyone could see them, their faces would not be visible enough to identify, and anyone would just think that Ryou had had too much to drink. There would be no body or evidence for anyone to find.

On the pavement Ryou had started to cry, as he tried to get control over his body again.

"Its okay…" the thief whispered. "He was trying to hurt you…he's gone now. It's okay…"

It wasn't okay. Bakura knew this as he dragged Ryou towards the Leaky Cauldron, where they could clean up before they went back home. Ryou would never be okay after this. It was different for Bakura. He had killed, and would keep killing as he had done all his life. But Ryou was his light. He was Bakura's purity. And he should _never _have been forced to take life, because he could not deal with the darkness of death.

OOO

Dark Necrofear had only found one piece of identification on the man – the Dark Mark on his arm. But Bakura did not have to look far to find out who he was. As soon as they exited the men's bathroom of the Leaky Cauldron, Bakura had steered Ryou to one of the tables. There were still a couple of witches and wizards, and even a hag at the table, but most people had left already. Bakura quickly ordered two firewhiskeys, and Tom, who had got used to their appearance over the last few weeks, provided without question. Bakura had picked up a discarded Daily Prophet and scanned the wanted pages, quickly finding the face of the man from the alley – it was Augustus Rookwood, an ex-Ministry employee who had escaped from Azkaban some years ago.

At first Ryou would not drink, shaking his head firmly, which caused droplets of water to fly from his hair, where he had washed the blood out in the sink. Eventually Bakura got him to take a few sips of the potent alcohol, and his shaking began to lessen.

"…t-the police…" Ryou managed to say eventually.

"They won't find out," Bakura reassured him. "Dark Necrofear wiped all traces of us and those men from that alley."

He knew Ryou feared the muggle law far more than the wizarding law, and Bakura had to agree with him. The muggle police were far more equipped and technologically advanced to investigate a death than the wizarding law enforcement. Ryou knocked back the rest of his drink, and coughed a little. Bakura drowned his own drink, wincing a bit. He hated spirits, preferring to drink beer, but these events called for something strong.

"Listen Ryou," he said firmly. "You did nothing wrong in there. You know that, right?"

"I know," Ryou said. "But…I killed him Bakura…"

Bakura uncomfortably placed an arm around his hikari's shoulders.

"He would have killed you Ryou. We both know that. And if he had killed you, I would have died too. You saved both of us back there."

Ryou nodded, but he still felt ill.

"Why don't I feel worse?" he whispered. "I…I should hate myself…He was going to kill us…I didn't have to kill him…did I?"

Bakura sighed.

"Ryou…the first time I killed someone, I went through the same thoughts. Now I...don't really think about it anymore," he winced at how callous that sounded, but he couldn't lie. "You can't wonder about what might have happened if you had done things differently."

Ryou looked around, his eyes still fearful, but also a little more normal. "Who were they? The person you killed?"

Bakura shrugged. "I don't know. I didn't _care_. He was trying to force my mother. I stabbed him. I didn't think about it at the time. All I thought about was getting him away from her. I stuck the knife in his back, and then in his heart."

Ryou's eyes were wide and horrified again.

"How old were you?" he asked quietly.

"Three summers old," Bakura said. "And let me tell you, he was a big guy. My mother was no pushover – she could handle herself. And this guy was big enough to knock her down. If I hadn't done what I had done, nothing would have stopped him."

"And...how did you feel?"

Bakura could not explain why he carried on talking. But talk he did.

"Once it was over I was pretty freaked out. Any kid would be. I thought I'd never get into the afterlife. I'd just ripped someone's heart out and denied them entry to paradise…if they were indeed worthy of it. Mother found me later hiding on the roof – she made me tell her what was wrong – she didn't have patience for snivelling and feeling sorry for yourself. So I asked her whether the Gods would be angry that I had killed someone."

"What did she say?"

"She whacked me around the head."

Ryou made a sound somewhere between a laugh and a splutter. "She _hit_ you?"

"Hey, even the King of Thieves got told off by his mother!" A faint line of pink was running across Bakura's cheekbones. "So yeah...she whacked me and then she hugged me. Told me I was an idiot – that the Gods would never reprimand me for protecting someone I loved."

A fond smile was dancing across Bakura's face. Tears welled in Ryou's eyes, as he remembered his own mother. He could almost imagine her saying the same words – though with a softer edge, but still the kind of tone that could only come from someone who loved you unconditionally.

And because his mother was not there to do it, Bakura hugged his hikari as he sobbed quietly into his shoulder.

OOO

**A/N: **Angst, angst, angst, angst…haven't you all missed me?!

I know I probably didn't do the Dursley's a lot of justice, especially given the send off JKR gives them in book seven, but hey, I'm not JKR, and I never will be.

So there we go! Number one is done! I hope everyone liked that! Don't forget the drill. Read, review, and if you want to see little additional details, updates or random thoughts, please stalk me on Twitter (MeiBennu).

Reviewers will be sent chocolate chip cookies.

People who give concrit will be given chocolate ice cream.

People who flame will have their comments put in my next AN to be translated for me by the reading public.

Isis: I suggest you guys get your wills in order, 'cause I got the author to spill on what she's going to do to you. It ain't pretty.

Yugi: How bad?

Isis: Makes the prequel look like a hard day at school with no sleep the night before.

Yugi: O.O!

Isis: (evil giggle)


	2. Chapter 2: Check In

**A/N: **Sorry for the delay everyone! The net went down in my house yesterday, so I had to wait till now to post.

Wow! Pretty blown away by the thirty reviews! Thanks to all of you! I honestly thought after so long everyone would have just given up. But no, you're all still here! And you've all completely restored my faith in the fanfiction community – faith which took a merciless beating after I had the misfortune to read Fifty Shades of Grey.

My lovely beta needs a cuddle too for being awesome. So does my lovely boyfriend for chasing all the doubts I've had about this story away.

I'm getting all psyched up for NaNoWriMo this year! If anyone is doing it, and wants to add me as a writing buddy, message me and I'll be in touch! If you're not doing it, google it and check it out!

OOO

**Chapter 2: Check In**

Across time and space, in a realm that nullified all these rules, a pair of eyes watched, tears filling them, but unable to fall.

A smaller figure approached. Some people in this realm (for there were quite a few) called her the Matriarch, despite the fact she retained the appearance of a four year old. The title was imposed due to the fact she was the eldest being there – over five thousand years old. She did not care what people called her. Names were fleeting, like the people here. Most left eventually, when their loved ones arrived. She listened to each and every one of them talk about who they waited for, and looked forward to the time when her own loved one would join her.

She approached the distressed looking young woman, a frown creasing her small face.

"What's wrong?"

The tears were blinked back.

"He has gained his full sight."

The five thousand year old little girl understood immediately, and she felt her heart sink.

"Who did he kill?"

"One of the Dark Lord's followers," the young woman said. "He…he's so horrified with himself…I wish I…"

"I know," the little girl nodded sadly. "I know…"

And she really did know. She knew just how tough life was about to become for the young man her friend watched.

…She just didn't know how bad it was about to become for them too.

OOO

Like many airports, Luxor International was at its peak of business in the middle of the summer, with tourists from all around the globe arriving to explore the land of the Pharaoh's. Heat swirled around like the travellers and tourists, everyone sweating, and fanning themselves as they walked, their bodies unused to the dry desert, and craving refreshment in the form of air conditioning or a cool drink.

One boy raced through the overheating tourists, pushing past family groups and businessmen, some in Western dress, some in Arabic. There were a few angry shouts directed at him as he knocked into people from the side, and he flung hasty apologies over his shoulder as he ran through the departure lounge. His backpack threatened the skulls of a few small children as it swung haphazardly off one shoulder.

"Watch it kid!" a businessman with an American accent barked.

"Sorry!" Malik yelled, grateful for his language patch. He really wanted to curse the man out, but Ishizu had raised him with some manners, and he did occasionally feel he should use them – that and he really did not have the time to start a fight.

He had thought he was doing very well. He had woken up on time (a feat in itself!) and he had been packed on time. But a huge car crash on the highway had delayed them for forty five minutes, listening to Ishizu worrying (which did nothing to calm his own nerves) and Odion trying to soothe her while they crawled along the road at a snails pace. By the time Malik had checked in, they had just called the passengers to the gate. Malik had hugged his siblings and raced to the security queue.

In his haste to get through security, he had forgotten to remove all his jewellery, and the clasps on his bracelets had set the metal detectors off three times. After submitting to a search of his bag too, he had been let through with only five minutes to get to the gate.

And so the running had begun.

"_This is the final boarding call for the last remaining passengers travelling on flight EA379 to London Gatwick –"_

Malik started cursing as he ran down the corridor, causing several people to shot him dirty looks. He ignored them. He didn't have time to apologise anymore. If he missed this flight he was well and truly screwed.

He bolted to the gate, just as the attendants were about to shut the door.

"Wait!" Malik yelled, screeching to a halt and brandishing his passport and boarding pass at the stunned female attendant. "That's my flight!"

"I'm sorry sir but we have to close the gate," the attendant gave a falsely sympathetic smile, and Malik finally decided he had had enough of playing nice. His hand went to the Millennium Rod at his belt (which had mercifully not been discovered during security) and immediately one of the male attendant's eyes went blank.

"He's only a kid," the man said. "Let him through."

The female attendant began to protest, but Malik just thanked the brainwashed man and bolted through the door as soon as it was open. He raced down the boarding ramp and to the plane door. The flight attendant smiled and pointed him to his seat, and he collapsed into it gratefully.

"Thank Ra…" he gasped to himself, before grinning. He had made it!

Right on cue, his phone vibrated, and he found a text message from Ryou.

"_Need to talk when you get here. R._"

Puzzled, Malik text back hastily.

"_Kay. Safe trip. M._"

"Sir," an attendant leaned over his shoulder. "Phones without flight safety modes need to be switched off now."

"Sorry," Malik apologised, doing as instructed. The attendant smiled, and Malik relaxed in his seat as he felt the plane start to move away from the terminal.

This was going to be a _good _trip!

OOO

"_I'm really too soft_," Bakura thought idly, looking down at his light. Ryou sat on the bench, with a bag underneath his feet, black circles under his eyes. Seeing him look so tired and stressed, Bakura retracted his previous thought. He had to soften up a little bit to be able to handle Ryou.

It had been too dangerous to take the train back, when both of them were covered in blood, so Bakura had opted to return to the Ring and let Ryou apperate home. As soon as they were safely inside the house, Ryou had climbed the stairs to his room, undressed and crawled into bed. Sleep had not come though, and instead tears had reappeared again. He had cried, and cried, and cried, until Bakura reappeared out of the Ring and held him until he finally fell into a nightmare filled sleep.

Bakura's dreams had not been any better. His mother and sisters had wove in and out, with Ryou standing there, looking in horror at his blood soaked hands. He woke up feeling a horrible shift in power, not unlike the ones he had felt at Hogwarts…something had changed very drastically. And he had no idea what it was.

Ryou had woken up early, tired, pale, and sure in his half-awake state that he could see blood dripping from his hands. He had quickly distracted himself upon waking, finding things to do to keep himself occupied, starting with trying to get the bloodstains out of his shirt (an impossible task in itself, because in Bakura's own words "blood is a bitch to clean out once it has had time to dry"). Ryou didn't care if the stains wouldn't come out; he just wanted something to do with his hands, to get rid of the warm feeling of fresh liquid marking his skin.

And as if that had not been enough, when Ryou had finished packing, and dragged his bag downstairs, he had found his father waiting for him at the kitchen table, a small bag beside his chair as he put down the paper.

"I changed my mind," he had said in a pleasant tone.

And Bakura had immediately started swearing in Ryou's head.

Ryou had no idea what had caused his father's sudden change of heart, but his cheer at heading for the World Championships, which after the previous night had been the only thing putting a ghost of a smile on his face, had quickly vanished. He had been looking forward to a week where Bakura didn't have to hide away. A week where he could get away from a man, whom he knew really didn't want to be around him, because he looked too much like his mother. It was a depressing reality, but Ryou would happily endure time spent in the Shadow Realm than see his father look at him with such a lack of real care and understanding. At least the Shadow Realm would be bearable now he knew how to control his own magic.

And so it was on the left side of the bench that Adrian Bakura sat, with his own bag beside him, waiting for the train to arrive. He had attempted to question Ryou about the workings of Duel Monsters, but Ryou had very little luck explaining them. He had instead told his father that he would just have to watch and learn. He really was not in the mood to play teacher, with last night's events still haunting him, though he had to admit, the conversation with his dark the night before was giving him a great deal of comfort.

"_Platform two, for the thirteen twenty five, Cross Country service to Bournemouth…"_

/_Is that us?_/ Bakura asked. Ryou rolled his eyes.

/_Bakura, what platform are we on?_/ he asked with a sigh. Bakura looked at the sign above their heads, and sweatdropped as he realised they were on platform one.

/_Oh…_/ the thief said. The corners of Ryou's mouth twitched, and Bakura was relieved to see at least some traces of a smile. At this point, Ryou's phone rang in his pocket, and he quickly pulled it out, eager for a distraction from his awkward father and impatient dark.

"Hello?"

"Yo Ryou!"

"Hey Joey!" the smile immediately returned to Ryou's face. It was such a relief to be able to talk to someone normally who wasn't Bakura. "Are you off the plane?"

"Yup! Just landed fifteen minutes ago," Joey said. "I swiped Yugi's phone. He's the only one with an international number. We're queuing in customs right now. Could be here a while. Not only did we just get in from Paris but also about three other flights from other places got in too by the looks of it. Queues are huge! And we've got to get through baggage reclaim."

"Are you all tired?" Ryou asked, thinking that Joey sounded remarkably active for someone who had spent the better part of a day and night flying or at various airports.

"I'm okay," Joey nodded. "Me, Serenity and Tea got enough sleep, but Yugi was wedged next to this fat guy, who kept snoring, and Tristan was on the aisle seat, so he kept getting knocked with the food trolley every time it went past. He wasn't happy!"

Ryou laughed. "I can imagine. But you sound happy. Are you excited?"

"Yeah! I can't wait to see Mai!" Joey sounded as though he were bouncing with impatience. "Not long now though."

Ryou smiled sneakily. "Who said anything about Mai? I was asking about the Championships."

In spirit form, Bakura roared with laughter. Joey spluttered, and a giggling voice took the phone away from him.

"Hey Ryou!"

"Afternoon Tea," Ryou smiled. "How red is Joey right now?"

"He's fuchsia," Tea was laughing. "I don't know what you said to him, but good job!"

"So when are you due at the hotel?" Ryou asked.

"Well at the rate this queue is moving, and the time Yugi says we'll take in baggage reclaim, plus the time on the Underground, we're looking to arrive about half past three."

"You'll be in just before me then," Ryou nodded.

"I thought it only took an hour from where you live to London?" Tea asked.

"We have to get the stopping service," Ryou explained. "We missed the fast train because we were buying my father's ticket."

"Your father is coming too?" Tea asked in surprise. "I thought he was too busy?"

"Changed his mind," Ryou said briefly, seeing his father look over at being mentioned. "Look I'll fill you guys in when we get there, okay?"

"Alright, I'd better get off before I eat all of Yugi's credit. See you in a bit!"

"Bye Tea."

Bakura smiled as Ryou put his phone away.

/_Silly mortals…_/ he thought. Ryou looked over at him with a frown.

/_What do you mean?_/

/_They make you smile_/ Bakura remarked. /_They might be idiots sometimes…_/

/_Bakura!_/

/_But they're good for that at least_/ the yami admitted.

"Ryou?"

His father shaking his shoulder snapped Ryou out of his thoughts.

"You okay?"

"Sorry Dad," Ryou picked up his bag. "Zoned out."

"You do that a lot lately," his father commented. "You're not sick or anything are you?"

/_Sick of you_/ Bakura thought. Ryou glared at him before answering.

"No I'm fine."

"_Platform one, for the thirteen thirty three, South West Trains Service to London Waterloo…"_

/_Thank Ra for that!_/ Bakura cheered, and Ryou could not agree more, getting to his feet and shouldering his bag. He pushed aside all the lingering thoughts of the events last night and focused on the upcoming evening – when he would finally see his friends again.

As Ryou got up, Adrian observed his son. Appearance-wise, not that different from the last time he had seen him, which had been…he frowned. He couldn't remember how long it had been. As he watched the train approach however, he realised just how much his boy had grown up in the last few years. Ryou had an edge of confidence that he had never had in childhood…or at least, one he had never noticed before. He had noticed a lot of things he had never noticed about Ryou before.

And yet Adrian was worried.

Last night was not the first time he had seen Ryou cry, but it was what had triggered his spontaneous decision to go with him to this tournament of his. Over the last two weeks he had noticed Ryou spacing out a great deal. At first he had pinned it down to being lost in memory – after all there was a lot of history for both of them in that house. But on the odd occasions when he was passing his son's room in the short walk between his study and the kitchen or bathroom, he had overheard things, which disturbed him greatly.

The first time, the door had been open a crack, and he had been able to make out Ryou, with his back to the door, arranging his Duel Monster cards into groups on the floor. He had been focused on his task, but at the same time he had been speaking aloud…having a conversation with thin air.

"_Do we really need two copies of it? Really?...yes I remember what happened with the Pharaoh…and Angus and Raquel…unless you _want_ to lose by deck out? Well let's get some redrawing spells if you're that worried._"

Had he not heard most of the conversation, Adrian might have just thought it was Ryou's way of concentrating, but he had heard Ryou talk about previous times he had used the cards, almost as though he were having a proper discussion with someone. He even paused for long occasions as though listening to reply. Yet there was no one else in the room.

More incidences had happened, often with Adrian pressing his ear against his son's door to hear more of these conversations, and now he was sure of one thing. His son was either crazy, or had an imaginary friend that he was unable to let go of.

Last night, he had been heading to the kitchen to get a drink, when he had heard sobbing from Ryou's room. Puzzled, he had headed to the door, peeked through the crack. Ryou's clothing was dumped on the floor, instead of in the laundry basket, where it was supposed to go, and Adrian thought he had seen bloodstains on the shirt, but that had to be a trick of the light. Ryou had been lying with his face buried in the pillow, crying fiercely. Eventually he calmed, but not before muttering to an empty room.

"_Thank you yami…"_

Adrian had decided in that instant, the he would go with his son and monitor his behaviour through the tournament. If he looked like he was getting worse…well, he would just have to wait and see.

OOO

"Joey! Yugi! Over here!"

Yugi heard Joey cheer with recognition and the blonde took off across the concourse of Terminal four, to pick up and swing the caller around.

"Mai! Man its great to see you!"

Mai Valentine laughed. "Let go of me you big idiot!" The tall blonde woman looked a little dizzy as she was dumped back on the ground, and immediately tackled by Serenity who looked just as happy as her brother to see the older woman.

"Mai! I've missed you so much!"

"You too Serenity!" Mai released the young girl and gave her a look over. "You've got taller!"

"I hope so!" Serenity admitted. "Still not as tall as you though!"

"Wear my heels and we'll see how many inches they put on you!" Mai teased. At five foot seven she was the tallest female in their little mismatched group. Her love of mini skirts had not changed, and she wore a black one to match her boots today. Coupled with a low cut white shirt, she was certainly enough to make several heads turn. She seemed not to care about it however, and turned to the rest of the group. Tea got the first hug.

"You look great Mai," Tea complimented. Mai did look a lot happier than she had done in ages. Yugi wondered if it was because of the upcoming tournament, whether she was happy to see them again or a combination of them both.

"So do you guys," Mai said, finishing the greetings with Yugi last. "You haven't grown any I see Yugi."

"Hey I'm not _that _short anymore!" Yugi complained, blushing as Joey laughed. "I've definitely grown since the first time we met!"

"Hey Mai," Tristan chuckled. "Do you think Yugi would look good in your heels?"

Everyone laughed louder, and Yugi's face went pinker.

"Thanks guys! We managed forty five minutes in Britain before someone teased me about my height!"

"Come on then," Mai beamed. "Let's get you to the hotel and check you guys in. How was the transfer in Paris?"

"Confusing," Joey said immediately. "None of us speak French, and if we tried to speak in English they all gave us these really dirty looks."

Mai laughed. "So when's the rest of the gang getting here?"

"Malik should be along later," Yugi reported. "Ryou too."

"His father is coming now," Tea put in. "He told me on the phone while we were in customs."

Mai did not quite understand the significance of this since she didn't know Ryou that well, and so she continued. "What about Duke and Rebecca? They're coming too aren't they?"

"Last flight in tonight," Tristan said. "Be good to see them again."

"I can't wait," Serenity smiled. "I haven't met Rebecca before."

Mai stayed silent. She hadn't truthfully met the American prodigy either. She knew who she was, but the last time Yugi and his friends had hung round with her had been when she had been off licking her wounds after the mess with the Orichalcos, which from what she had surmised from her conversations with Joey, Serenity still didn't know too much about. Mai would have to talk to Joey about telling Serenity soon – it wasn't fair to keep her in the dark.

"So how many others have checked in?" Joey asked curiously, as they exited the busy terminal.

"About half of the competitors when I left," Mai reported. "A few more are arriving tonight, and the rest tomorrow morning. You guys were smart leaving a day to get settled and well rested."

"And to meet up with our friends from Hogwarts," Yugi added. Mai looked curious.

"Your magic school?" she asked, having heard most of the details about the trouble in the Magical world through Joey.

"Yup," Yugi nodded. "They're meeting us tomorrow. You want to come with?"

"Please Mai?" Serenity begged. "Tea and I were going to hit the shops after we meet up with them!"

Mai relented. "Okay. Might be fun."

Serenity beamed.

"Seen anyone else we might know?" Yugi asked, as they joined the queue for Underground tickets.

"No sign of Kaiba yet," Mai said. "But who knows when he'll show up. Leon Von Schroeder is here. I ran into him in the corridor this morning but he was in a bit of a rush. He's hoping to duel you again Yugi."

Yugi grinned. Despite the trouble at the KC Grand Prix, he had really grown to like Leon, and he had been pleased to hear he was invited to the World Championships. Mai knew already of course, being European champion and having beaten Leon in the continental championships earlier in the year.

"The African runner up is here," Mai listed. "She's pretty cool. Both the Oceania champion and runner up are here, but I haven't seen them, I just heard one of the hotel staff mention them. Your friend Koji Oku arrived this morning. Poor kid looked beat after all that flying."

Joey beamed, remembering the ten-year-old boy who he had faced off in the Japanese Regionals and the East Asian continental championships. It would be good to see him again. He frowned as the ticket machine beeped at him for payment, and he quickly rummaged in his bag for money.

"Oh here," Mai leaned over and handed him a five pound note. "You get free Oyster cards in your welcome packs when you get to the hotel. You also get complimentary booster packs."

"Really?" Joey sounded thrilled. "Sweet! Free travel _and _free Duel Monster cards!"

"Now all we need is free food and he'll be set," Tea muttered to Yugi, who fought back a giggle. He noticed Tea was shivering slightly in the air conditioning, and he handed his jacket over.

"Thanks Yugi," Tea smiled.

"You'll be boiling on the Underground," Mai warned. "I swear, I've visited England before, but this has to be one of the hottest summers on record."

"Hmm…" Yugi's thoughts began to wander. The last summer in Britain had been wet and horrible, and winter had come very early. Most people attributed it to the Dementors, but Yugi reckoned the Orichalcos has cast a permanent darkness over the country. Maybe the sudden surge of good weather was the climate trying to recover.

For whatever reason, Mai was right. The second they sat down on the Underground train, they were all hot, and were forced to shed any extra clothing.

"Man!" Joey muttered, fanning himself with his ticket (which was a little pointless given how small it was). "Hope it cools off a bit."

"I don't," Yugi said. "Yami loves this weather."

He reverted to Japanese upon speaking about his other half, and everyone leaned forwards slightly.

"That reminds me," Joey said. "Serenity doesn't know yet."

"I don't know what?" Serenity sounded a bit put out. Yugi meanwhile, smacked his forehead.

"You're right. Sorry Serenity. I forgot you haven't visited since Joey was in hospital. Basically after our fight at the school, Yami and Bakura gained the ability to produce solid forms."

Serenity's eyes went wide. She knew who Yami and Bakura were of course, but she had never met them personally.

"How?" she asked, her voice dropping to a whisper.

"The way Malik describes it," Yugi explained, "Is that their souls act like absorbent sponges. They suck up a mixture of Shadow magic and wizard magic, which fleshes their forms out so we can all see them."

"So we can…actually touch and talk to them?" Serenity asked.

"Yup," Joey nodded, grinning from ear to ear. "We've had an interesting summer trying to figure out what they can do."

Serenity looked cautiously at the Puzzle, and then back at Yugi. "Can I…?"

"Not right now," Yugi shook his head. "It's too crowded on this train. Wait till we get to the hotel."

Mai certainly seemed to share Yugi's sentiment with the packed state of the Underground. A few seats down, a group of teenage boys were ogling her chest. She rolled her eyes, and turned back in time to see Joey looking as though he would love nothing more than to throttle them.

"So, can I see these language patches of yours?"

The distraction worked, and everyone listened as Yugi explained how the patches worked, and the kind of spells that were on them, and to Mai's relief, Joey stopped glowering at the boys. She was relieved. The last thing she wanted was trouble before the tournament even started.

In his mind however, Joey was thinking hard.

"_The last tournament we went to with Mai, turned into a nightmare for her," _he thought. He clenched his fists in determination.

"_I won't let that happen this tournament. I promise Mai, you won't be in danger this time."_

OOO

The London Underground was one of the hottest, nosiest and smelliest places Malik had ever been. And he lived in Egypt, in a tourist city, with camels, so he _knew _hot, noisy and smelly.

The heat would not have bothered him as much were it not for the fact that he was lugging his holdall bag over one shoulder along with his backpack. Both now took up the seat next to him as the train pulled out of Green Park station. Malik checked the map at the top of the wall, and almost cheered as he realised that his stop was the next one. He got up and quickly re-gathered his bags.

Down the train, there were a series of light giggles, catching the Egyptian's attention. There were a group of young girls, all in short shorts and flip flops, pointing at him and whispering among themselves. Malik mentally groaned. He had been hoping that he would be able to get to the hotel without being mobbed by fangirls. Relieved that the train was slowing down again, he caught the eye of one of the girls, and gave her a wink. She dissolved into heavy giggles, and Malik shook his head as he made his way to the door.

Piccadilly Circus was crowded, and he kept a tight hold on his bags as he jumped onto the platform. It was a little cooler than it had been in the train, and Malik could not wait to get outside. The air in here was stale.

The giggles suddenly got louder, and Malik swore as he realised the fangirls had got out too, and were now making their way quickly towards him. He rushed for the stairs, grateful that at least they were unsubtle enough to warn him of their approach. On the staircase, a flood of passengers from the Bakerloo line joined the people from the Piccadilly line, and Malik bit back a few creative curses as people stepped on his feet…then a mop of white hair at the top of the staircase caught his attention.

"Ry!" he shouted, pushing past people and stepping on a few toes in return. The white hair turned to reveal a familiar face, which split into a grin as the Egyptian got to the top of the stairs.

"Malik!" Ryou hugged him enthusiastically, almost sending Malik tumbling back down the stairs. Ryou was not usually so affectionate, but after so long apart, Malik had missed him too, and returned it with a tight squeeze. He was alarmed at how tense his friend was, and concern pinched his eyebrows together. Something had happened, and he was going to find out what.

"Wow! You missed me then?" he teased lightly, as they broke apart.

"Like you wouldn't believe," Ryou said, yelping as Malik twisted him around and trapped him in a headlock.

"Ishtar!" Bakura roared, taking over. "Mind the neck, you moron!"

Malik laughed. "I knew you were in there somewhere Bakura!"

The thief pushed himself free and glared.

"I rather like having Ryou in one piece thank you. I'd appreciate it if you did not try and break his neck."

"Ah I missed your caring personality, oh glorious thief king!" Malik smirked.

"Ryou!" Bakura immediately relinquished control and both boys turned to see Adrian already on the other side of the barrier, his arms folded, and looking confused and irritated.

"Sorry Dad," Ryou called over. Malik blinked in surprise.

"That's your Dad?" he asked. "What's he doing here?"

"Come to watch me in the tournament," Ryou looked less than happy about this fact. "Come on."

He swiped his ticket through the barrier and slipped through the gate. Malik followed him, eyeing up Ryou's father with an apprising eye. He could see instantly that Ryou must take after his mother. The only attributes the father and son shared was the habit of tying their hair back, and the frown lines in their foreheads, giving them both the impression that they were permanently worried. Having seen Amane in a flashback of Ryou's past, Malik could see immediately that Ryou's twin had the same hair colour as their father. His eyes were blue however, rather than the brown that the twins had shared.

Malik could see the older man was sizing him up too, and he knew what he must see. A deep tan from the Egyptian sun, bleach blonde hair that looked slightly out of place, and a tall wiry frame that was shown off by his short shirt and tight trousers. Malik had had enough common sense to remove most of his jewellery upon arriving at Gatwick – he had no desire to be a target for pickpockets. Most people's first impressions of him were often correct – he was trouble on legs.

"Dad, this is Malik. He's a friend," Ryou explained quickly, a pink tinge reaching his cheeks. 'Friend' really covered how close they were. But he could hardly tell his father that Malik was a Millennium Item Bearer or just how much he meant to him...that would open up a can of worms he had no desire to discuss.

"Nice to meet you." Well at least Adrian was attempting to be polite. Malik nodded back.

"Likewise. We should get out of this station before we get trampled."

The idea had a lot of merit, and awkward introductions were no ones strong point. Ryou fell into step beside Malik as soon as they were out on the crowded street. Adrian walked behind them, observing as both boys fell into familiar conversation. The noise of traffic was intense, as cars, buses and taxis rolled past on the road beside them.

"How's Ishizu?" Ryou called over the sounds of the street. "And Odion?"

Malik nodded. "Great. They're heading back to Cairo tomorrow now that big sis is done with all her meetings. I'll join them when the tournament is over."

"Please tell me you're coming for another visit before school starts?" Ryou begged, all round eyed and cute as he did. Malik couldn't help it – he gave a smile that he only shared with his best friend.

"I'll see if I can spare time," he promised, glancing over his shoulder as Adrian struggled to keep up with them. Remembering the text message before he got on the plane, he linked arms with Ryou and lowered his voice.

"So was that what you wanted to talk to me about? Your extra guest?"

Ryou shook his head, remembering just why he had wanted to talk to Malik. "No. I'll tell you at the hotel."

Malik shrugged, not missing the dark look on Ryou's face. He immediately wondered what Bakura had done this time.

"Oh but I do want to ask you something," Ryou dropped his voice and switched to Japanese, which he knew his father was a little rusty in. "Can Bakura share your room if he wants to stay outside the Ring at nights? I was going to let him share with me but since my Dad is with me…"

"Say no more," Malik patted him on the shoulder. "He can share. Just as long as he doesn't molest me in my sleep."

Ryou's eyes turned crimson. "I'm not that desperate, thank you Malik."

Malik smirked. "You know you want me Bakura."

He was treated to a smack round the head, and Bakura disappeared, leaving a blushing Ryou.

"Thanks Malik, sorry about your head."

"Its okay," the Egyptian boy assured him, before grinning. "Hey is that the hotel?"

Adrian was surprised. This Malik character seemed like the last person Ryou would be friends with. The boy screamed rebel, and Ryou was as well behaved as they came…at least, he thought he was. He remembered the smack that he had just given Malik. The whole conversation had been in Japanese, and he was not as up to scratch on that language as he used to be. Yet it had provoked so many questions. Why was a boy who was clearly not Japanese, speaking the language? How did they both meet? Why had Ryou been referring to himself in the third person? And why did Malik switch between using Ryou's given name and Ryou's surname?

But as the conversation between the two boys turned to excitement and speculation over who was already at the hotel, Adrian saw true happiness on his son's face. Just the thought of this game, and the presence of this strange boy, turned him from sadness to joy, and he realised just how little he knew about Ryou's life.

OOO

"You took your time man!" Joey greeted Ryou and Malik as they made their way to the hotel bar after throwing their bags in their rooms. Ryou's father had excused himself, claiming he needed to make some phone calls, but neither of the boys were stupid. He was uncomfortable around them, and it was fairly obvious.

The bar was almost empty, save for a few businessmen in a corner, and a young couple by one of the large windows, but both boys could tell when full it could quite happily seat just over fifty people. Glasses hung sparkling above the bar, and Malik pulled a face at the olive green coloured walls.

"Sorry," Ryou apologised, as they pulled up by Joey, who stood at the bar with a couple of notes in his hand. "It was packed on the Underground. But I ran into Malik at the station."

"So I see," Joey said, clapping both boys on the shoulder. "It's good to see you both again. The rest of the gang is over there. I'm just grabbing drinks."

"Oh good, is it too early for alcohol?" Malik enquired with a grin.

"Malik, you're still underage," Ryou reminded him.

"Oh yeah…" Malik deflated. "Forgot this wasn't Egypt..."

"Ryou! Malik!" both boys were tackled by a rainbow coloured explosion of hair that came up to their chins.

"Hi Yugi," Ryou spluttered, attempting to pry their excitable friend off them.

"You haven't grown any I notice," Malik smirked, and he received a jab in the ribs for his comment.

"Hey! Not you guys as well! Why is everyone picking on my height as soon as I get back to Britain?"

"Because we haven't seen you for ages," Malik replied. He was fibbing actually. Yugi had grown a couple of inches over the summer, and was just a little bit shorter than his darker half now. Looking over his shoulder, Malik could see Yami seated with the rest of their friends. They all waved as the four of them approached.

"And so arrives our dose of insanity," Tristan proclaimed.

"Aww I missed you too Tristan!" Malik said, taking a peanut from the bowl on the table and throwing it at him.

"How was your flight?" Tea asked.

"I almost didn't make it," Malik told them, helping himself to the complimentary bowl of nuts. "There was a crash on the highroad, I got searched I don't know how many times in security, and I had to use the Rod to get through the gate in the end. Oh and there were fangirls on the Underground!"

"I am never getting the stopping service again," Ryou groaned, remembering the nightmare that had been his own (mercifully short by comparison) journey.

"That bad, was it?" Yugi asked sympathetically, as Ryou began opening the registration pack that had been issued to him at check in.

"The worst," Ryou pulled out his tournament badge from the envelope and pocketed it, before pulling out the tournament seeding and the forbidden/limited list. "Father and I would have just been awkward on our own, but when I had to hold conversations with Bakura too…"

"I resent that!" Bakura said, causing everyone to jump. He had materialised in the corner and no one had seen him appear. "Nice to see you all missed me," he added dryly. Yami got to his feet, and for a second Bakura was sure he could see a cloak flutter behind him. Yami, like Bakura, had regained some of his tan while he had been in Japan, and it reminded the thief all the more of the time when the Pharaoh had been on the throne, looking equally as regal and imposing as he did now.

"It's good to see you again Bakura," Yami said formally.

"Sure it is," the thief rolled his eyes, before switching to Egyptian, and giving the Pharaoh a serious look. "I need to talk to you immediately."

Yami didn't like the look on Bakura's face – it gave him the dreadful feeling that something had gone horribly wrong, so he excused himself, and both spirits left the table.

"Do you think we should be worried?" Tea asked, her gaze following them both go.

"I don't think so," Ryou shook his head, knowing exactly what Bakura wanted to talk to the Pharaoh about. He seemed to shrink in on himself, and Malik gave him a concerned look. He knew something was very wrong, and later he would find out just what.

OOO

"So what's the bad news?" the Pharaoh asked as soon as they were out of earshot of the table. Bakura checked quickly that there was no one nearby to hear, but there was just him and the shorter Egyptian spirit.

"Is your hikari listening?" Bakura asked, resisting the urge to call Yugi something derogatory. He needed information and for that he needed the Pharaoh to co-operate.

"Yes, why?" Yami asked.

"Block him off," Bakura ordered.

"Why?" Yami demanded, raising his eyebrows.

"I don't want him to hear," Bakura snapped irritably. "It's my hikari's choice to tell him or not."

"…I see…" that was not the answer that Yami had expected at all, and he quickly blocked himself from Yugi. "And how does Ryou feel about you telling me?"

Bakura shook his head. "I'm sure he's guessed anyway. You want to know what happened last night, and I'll tell you. But first, were you followed?"

"As soon as we got into the arrivals lounge," Yami nodded. He had sensed the presence of two aurors at the airport, but he had wisely said nothing. Yugi was happy to be surrounded by his friends, and he did not want his aibou to be concerned. "Two of them."

"Did you get their names?" Bakura demanded.

"No, how could I?" Yami asked, frowning. "What's this all about?"

"Damn…" Bakura cursed. "Well it was worth a try…"

"Bakura what's going on?" Yami demanded. "I've told you what you wanted to know, now I want to know what happened to you both last night after you called me."

"Alright alright!" Bakura stemmed the upcoming rant. "Ryou and I went to the Leaky Cauldron first, and it was there that we overheard the auror. Ryou followed him and I went to check in with some of my contacts in Knockturn Alley. No one had any useful information, and as I was heading back I found Mundungus Fletcher."

"Fletcher?" Yami was interested now.

"He works for Dumbledore," Bakura said. "He said the old man wanted tabs kept on us."

"So he's having us watched while we're here too…" Yami groaned. "Is nothing in this life private?"

"That's what I was thinking," Bakura nodded.

"Did you hurt him?"

"What do you take me for?" Yami raised his eyebrows and Bakura rolled his eyes. "Okay I slammed him against a wall, but that was it. I didn't have time for anything else, because Ryou was in trouble."

Yami's face turned serious again. "What happened?"

"The auror he followed was called Adams," Bakura said. "He was meeting the Death Eater Rookwood and a muggle down an alley."

"A muggle victim?" Yami asked, and Bakura shook his head.

"Ally," he corrected. Yami's eyebrows arched.

"Interesting. Go on."

"Ryou got seen," Bakura said bluntly. "And the Death Eater hexed him so he couldn't move."

Yami's head whipped around back to the table, looking at the white haired hikari. Ryou was scanning over the forbidden/limited lists in their information packs with Malik, but there was something behind Ryou's eyes – a haunted and grieved look – that was different from the last time he had seen the boy two weeks ago. Yami had a sinking feeling he knew what had happened.

"I got there while they were discussing what to do with him. Adams fled, and Rookwood attacked. The muggle got away, and Rookwood grabbed Ryou before I could give chase."

He looked grave, and Yami felt horrified as he realised what Ryou must have done.

"He didn't…"

"Rookwood would have killed him Pharaoh," Bakura explained. "He was frightened. The knife was in his belt. He did the only thing he could think of…"

"But…Ryou," Yami breathed. "He's a hikari, Bakura! They're not supposed to take life!"

"You think I don't know that?!" Bakura snarled. "Ra above Pharaoh, I spent all night trying to comfort him, and it's only because of that that he was even willing to get up this morning! I know hikari's aren't supposed to kill, that it goes against their very nature, but Ryou did it in self defence, and no one should ever object to him defending himself."

Yami sighed and ran a hand through his spiky hair.

"You're right, of course…I'm sorry," he looked over his shoulder again. "Ryou looks so haunted…"

"He's been better since he got here, I'll admit," Bakura said thoughtfully. "I think being around your hikari and his friends helps. He can distract himself."

"Let's hope it's enough," Yami muttered, before focusing on something else. "So why is Dumbledore so keen to have us followed? I'd rather not have Yugi and everyone else spend the whole trip stalked by two magical parties."

Bakura almost slapped himself for forgetting such an important fact. "Fletcher said the Department of Mysteries have gone back to testing the Orichalcos stones that they got from the arrested Death Eaters."

Yami uttered a low oath in Egyptian, that Bakura was surprised he even knew, let alone speak. "Those fools! Didn't they learn their lesson last time?"

"Add that to the investigation that the Ministry is taking into what happened at the school in June, how long before they find out just how involved in that magic we were?" Bakura asked.

"And worse…" Yami added, feeling dread that he had not known since their time at Hogwarts well up again. "What if they find out about the Items?"

OOO

It was not until nine o' clock at night that the last of the gang arrived. Rebecca Hawkins and Duke Devlin knocked on the door to Yugi's hotel room, both of them looking half asleep, but happy to be there.

"Yugi!" The spiky haired teen had barely had time to register who was on his doorstep, when he was tackled by a small blonde blur. Cheeks flaming, Yugi hugged back briefly before retreating a step to take a good look.

"Good to see you Rebecca," he said, before exchanging a handclasp with the black haired creator of Dungeon Dice Monsters. "You too Duke. How was the flight?"

"Flight was fine," Duke said, as Rebecca barged in to hug everyone else. The only absent people were Mai, who had decided to retire early, and Ryou and Malik, who had disappeared after dinner to Malik's room. No one was really sure what they were talking about except for Yami, who had a fairly good idea. It made sense. If Ryou were to confide in anyone it would undoubtedly be Malik. The two were probably closer with each other than anyone else in the group, and Malik would never judge Ryou.

Rebecca had now been around everyone in the room, and had stopped only because she had just spotted Yami. Yugi had told Rebecca and Duke about their solid spirit forms, however hearing and seeing were two completely different things, and Rebecca was temporarily dumbstruck, first by the impossibility of the situation, and then on how similar Yugi and Yami looked. Duke too was stood in the doorway, gawking at the Pharaoh.

"Wow…" he eventually managed to get out. "You really weren't kidding."

"Would I kid about Yami?" Yugi asked rolling his eyes, and sitting beside Tea, who was already in pyjamas. As she was his guest, she was sharing his room.

"Well, I guess not," Duke said, taking his own seat in between Joey and Tristan, both whom thumped him on the back in greeting. Serenity yanked her brother off and gave Duke an apologetic smile.

"I'd hug you but you look tired," she explained. Duke waved it off.

"I feel tired Serenity," he told her. "I thought that lady in immigration was going to break me in two. She thought I was child trafficking!"

"Lucky you had me then," Rebecca declared, sitting on the floor beside Yugi's feet. Yami couldn't help but notice that Rebecca had not hugged him, and he guessed she was a little unsure of how to treat him.

"Yeah I owe you one Becky," Duke nodded at her. "She was brilliant," he told everyone. "None of them knew who they were dealing with when they started arguing with her."

"I'll bet," Joey muttered, remembering how contrary the child genius could be. "So how's your Gramps, Rebecca?"

"He's good," Rebecca nodded. "Sad that he couldn't come himself, but he was happy for Duke to be my chaperone." At this she smirked. "Although given what happened at the airport, you'd think he was the one that needed watching."

"Oh hush, you brat," Duke chuckled. "I was coming anyway for the expo."

Yugi knew from the information in the registration packs that the hotel would be hosting a gaming expo each evening of the tournament. Along with Duel Monsters merchandise, Dungeon Dice Monsters would be getting coverage too, along with a host of other games that Yugi had heard about but never played. Duke had been invited to manage the display for his own creation, and he had been more than willing. Anything that generated more business for him was good in his books.

"Grandpa was also interested to know about any new developments with the Orichalcos, after you guys left school," Rebecca continued, and immediately several people in the room stiffened. Rebecca's comment had been directed at Yugi primarily, but it was Yami who answered.

"I need to talk to everyone about that tomorrow when we meet up with our friends at the Leaky Cauldron," the Pharaoh said. "According to Bakura we could have some trouble while we're here."

"What kind of trouble?" Tristan asked, a frown crossing his face.

"I'll let everyone know tomorrow, when we're all together," Yami promised. "This is something Harry, Ron and Hermione need to hear too."

"Your friends from your school?" Duke asked curiously. Yugi and Yami nodded in unison.

"We're meeting them after breakfast," Yugi said. "We have tomorrow free for sightseeing so we thought we'd all catch up."

"Can we come too?" Rebecca asked.

"Of course," Yugi nodded. "We'd ideally like everyone who had a connection with the Orichalcos last time to be there. This might involve all of us."

A few more questions were on several people's lips, but at this point the hotel door was thumped on by an overzealous fist, and Bakura barked from outside.

"Pharaoh! Let me in!"

"Bakura please be quiet!" Ryou hushed. "You don't need to let the whole hotel know!"

"I hope you weren't this noisy when you robbed tombs," Malik put in.

"Shut up Malik."

Yugi got up and opened the door, and was almost flattened as Bakura stormed in, with Ryou and Malik on his tail. Ryou was clutching a piece of parchment, and Malik had a tawny owl on his shoulder.

"Wow, we were missing a party," Malik commented, as he observed the full room.

"What is it?" Yami stood up, as Yugi shut the door. "Who's the letter from Ryou?"

"Dumbledore," Ryou began, but Bakura cut him off.

"The old man wants to meet with us tomorrow. Fletcher must have told him I cornered him last night."

"Wait…what?" Yugi was lost. "You cornered who last night?"

"One of the headmaster's spies, sent to keep an eye on us," Ryou explained, as Yami took the parchment and quickly scanned the letter.

"Tomorrow at the Leaky Cauldron, eleven o clock. He must know we're meeting Harry, Ron and Hermione there, and thought it would be more convenient."

"This isn't convenient!" Bakura snapped. "I'm not telling him a thing. And I'm not meeting with him either. I had enough of him last year, thank you very much!"

"There's no need for all of us to be there," Yugi pointed out. "We're meeting Harry, Ron and Hermione at ten o clock. There's nothing to stop everyone else going around London while we speak to him."

"I like that idea," Ryou said. Truthfully he was nervous about seeing Dumbledore, and worried that the Headmaster would look right into his mind and see him killing the Death Eater. "But who's going to meet him?"

"I'll go," Yugi said immediately. "Yami too."

Yami nodded.

"I'm coming too," Joey said. "Don't argue," he added, seeing Yugi about to respond that Joey didn't have to waste the morning with him. "I'm a Chosen Duellist too, and if its got something to do with what happened in June I want to know."

"Wait, how do you know this has anything to do with the Orichalcos?" Tea asked.

"Think about it," Joey said. "Why else would he be having us all spied on unless something dangerous was going on?"

Tea looked surprised that such a rational conclusion had come from Joey of all people.

"Then we're coming too," Tristan said.

"Yeah," Tea nodded.

"No way," Yami said firmly. Yugi shook his head.

"The Leaky Cauldron is a wizard establishment. As far as they're concerned everyone here is a muggle except us. It'll look strange enough with one muggle meeting with the headmaster. Also there are more likely to be Death Eaters and spies for the Ministry in the pub. Joey can defend himself, you guys can't."

"Are you expecting to be jumped the second you walk into the pub?" Duke asked, his eyebrows raised.

"No of course not," Yami shook his head.

"But we're the reason for Voldemort laying low since June," Yugi continued. "And that makes us a target when we're in the magical world."

"That's not going to change, whether we're with you or not," Tea pointed out.

"I know," Yugi told her. "But it's still too dangerous for you to be there…I just want you safe."

He had said the last part looking directly at her, before turning his head to look at everyone in the room.

"All of you."

Tristan sighed. "Alright. We'll go with the others. But you guys have to catch up with us later, kay?"

"You got it," Joey nodded. "It shouldn't take long. Then we can go sightseeing."

By his side Serenity yawned, and got up.

"I'm going to bed," she said. "See you guys in the morning."

"Night sis," Joey said. "Don't wake Mai up if she's sleeping."

"I won't," Serenity promised, picking her way over everyone on the floor and heading for the door. Rebecca yawned loudly.

"Think I'll call it a night too. Jet lag is a nightmare. You coming, Duke?"

"In a bit Becky," Duke nodded.

"We should go too," Ryou said quietly, taking Malik's arm and dragging him towards the door. Bakura vanished and returned to the Ring (Duke and Rebecca jumped in surprise at this sudden display) as they left.

"Night guys," Malik called over his shoulder, as the door shut behind them.

"…What?" Joey asked, finding Tristan and Duke giving him equally smug smirks.

"_Don't wake Mai_," Duke mimicked in a falsetto. "You couldn't get more obvious if you…"

He never got to finish, as Joey threw a pillow from Yugi's bed at his head.

"Shut up," he snapped.

"Oh don't be like that, man," Tristan chuckled. "It's not like we didn't know you like her."

"Yeah, it's been obvious since…what? Battle City?" Duke asked.

Joey's face went pink, and he sucker punched Duke in the side.

"Leave him alone guys," Tea reprimanded. "We're all tired, and I don't know about the rest of you, but I want sleep."

"Yeah good idea," Joey got quickly to his feet and exited the room, his cheeks still pink. Duke shook his head, and Tristan looked down at the floor. Tea's reprimand had shut them up, and Joey could tell that both were regretting their teasing now, but he didn't care.

Maybe he had reacted too defensively, but truthfully, he just was not ready to admit how right they were.

OOO

Deep in the Shadow Realm, a victim was slowly being driven mad.

The Penalty Game imposed upon him was simple in design, but exceptionally effective. The man in question had very few fears but death itself. But the monsters that had placed him there had lacked the ability to cast that strong a Penalty Game upon him. Maybe if they had been one of the Bearers, they would have been able to, but as it was, they had settled for making the man relive his life over and over again, reminding him of all his weakest moments.

While not as painful as putting him through his worst fear might have been, the constant exposure to every failure that person had ever suffered was slowly turning his mind into an uncontrollably wild force.

The man's name had been Tom Riddle, but now he was known as Lord Voldemort.

The little bit of sanity he had left was being held in tact by the Orichalcos stone clenched in his fist. He had grabbed it before being sent here, and despite being used by the magic, the Dark Lord clung to its power, using it as an anchor for the only rational thoughts in his head – thoughts of revenge. The faces of those he hated went through his mind, giving him a little clairvoyance in his prison…Potter – he was destined to kill that boy – Dumbledore – that man had been a pain for long enough – the Bearers – their souls would suffer worse than what he was now – Maha Vailo and Faith Bird – he would rip them to pieces for putting him here…all these people were clear to him, and they fed his anger through the stone.

And then, a dark, rasping voice broke through the torment.

"Enough of this!"

And the memories of his past were gone, leaving the Dark Lord standing in the black void of shadows.

Voldemort took a minute to get his head together, and examine his surroundings. He was still in the Shadow Realm…but he was no longer in his Penalty Game. Something or someone had set him free. His wand fit comfortably into his right hand, and in his left was clutched the chain with the Orichalcos stone around the end.

"Aha…so that was your power source…" the voice appeared from behind him. Voldemort turned and instinctively fired in the direction it had come from. The shadows seemed to swarm however, and absorbed the stunning spell. A dark chuckle emerged.

"No need to be so violent," the voice said. "The least you could do is thank me for getting you out of there."

Voldemort frowned. That voice was unfamiliar, and yet he was sure he had heard a similar tone from somewhere before. It was definitely male, and it had a harsh, throaty edge to it. The person themselves was cloaked by the darkness of the Shadow Realm.

"Who are you?" the Dark Lord demanded. The voice chuckled again.

"I could be asking you the same question. Suffice to say, I am a man who can help you – so long as you help me."

Voldemort scoffed. "What makes you think I need help?"

"Don't fool me," the voice said. "You cannot leave the Shadow Realm; else you would have done so already. You need help, extra magic and knowledge of how this realm works, if you want to stand any chance of getting out."

The offer was tempting, but Voldemort was no fool. He wanted to know just what this mysterious helper of his wanted in return.

"I see…so you would help me get out of the Realm?"

"In exchange," the voice said. "You see I am in the same situation, somewhat. I have vast knowledge of this realm, and yet, I still have not regained my full powers. With some help however, I could get us both out of here."

Voldemort laughed. "You presume to be so knowledgeable, and yet for all your talk you are just as stuck here as I am. Give me one good reason why I should say yes to your demands?"

The voice turned harsh. "Do not test me, _mortal_," he spat. "I might not be able to leave this realm without help, but I can still control it!"

The Shadows moved again, this time swarming around Voldemort, chilling him to the bone. He snarled, and the fragment of Orichalcos stone began to glow. What happened next was nothing short of horrifying.

The Shadow Realm seemed to shake as though it was caught in an earthquake. The Shadows screamed loudly, causing both occupants to cover their ears, and growl in pain. The attacking Shadows retreated as though burnt, also wailing in distress.

"So…" the voice hissed. "You do wield the magic of Atlantis…that is why you were able to keep some of your mind in your Penalty Game."

"What do you know of my Penalty Game?" Voldemort demanded, worried for a second that this figure had seen all the memories of his past.

"That whatever it was, it was not strong enough to send you completely mad," the voice said. "That's why I chose to free you. You're one of the few captives in here who still has some semblance of sanity as well as power."

Voldemort hissed. "I am no one's pawn!"

"I am not asking for a pawn!" the voice snapped. "I am asking for power to break the boundaries of this Realm and get us both out! That seems a fair exchange after I got you out of your Penalty Game! So what is it going to be?"

The voice was clearly impatient, and Voldemort knew he had to think fast. Who or whatever this being was, it was clearly powerful, and that was what he needed right now. However he disliked being used, and helping people, and he couldn't shake the feeling that if he helped this being, he would use him for his own ends. And yet…that could also work both ways. Why couldn't he use this being as a pawn of his own? Knowing of the Shadow Realm's various legends was good, and he had got that from his Death Eater, who had contacts with the ex-Tomb Keepers. However this person seemed to have actual knowledge of the inner workings of the realm. This information would be necessary if he wanted to beat the Bearers.

"Very well," he muttered. "Show me your face, and then you get me out of here."

"As you wish," the voice said smoothly, and the shadows parted to reveal the figure.

Voldemort's surprise registered all over his pale face, and he pointed his wand at the approaching male. "You look like that boy!" He accused.

The Dark One smirked. "Ah…of course. It makes sense. If you were sent here than you obviously pissed one of _them_ off…" His smirk became demonic. "But…that makes this all the sweeter. I can finally have my revenge. After all this time…"

OOO

The hotel room was dark and silent. Then there was a groan, and pain filled eyes flicked open. The occupant of the bed rolled over and planted his face back into the pillow, trying to ignore the headache that suddenly sprung up around his temples, and the sick feeling in his stomach that something had just gone horribly wrong…

OOO

**A/N: **Hehehe! If anyone can guess who the mysterious Dark One is I will…torment you all by not saying anything! Mwhahahahaaa! Yet despite my deliberate attempts to be ambiguous, you've all probably guessed.

Isis: See Yugi? I told you_. Completely_ screwed.

Yugi: I'm just gonna huddle in my corner and pretend I didn't just read that.

Yami: Me too.


	3. Chapter 3: The Keeper's Librarian

**A/N: **I'm sorry I didn't get to respond to everyone's reviews – I caught the stomach bug that's been going around my hometown, and I didn't really have the energy to do much beyond flopping in bed, eating soup and cooing over my copy of The Avengers. . .what are you on about? Of course I wasn't rubbing it against my cheek!

Reviews? Please? They make me stop being so lazy. . .

OOO

**Chapter 3: The Keeper's Librarian**

"Now take care of yourselves!"

"Yes Mrs Weasley."

"Mum, you're worrying too much."

"I mean it Ron!" Molly Weasley stepped back and gave her son a stern look. "You must be careful! I'm still not happy about you staying on your own…"

"We'll be fine," Hermione soothed. "The Leaky Cauldron is fully booked for the next week, so there's plenty of wizards around to keep an eye on us."

"Not in a muggle stadium," Mrs Weasley pointed out.

"There will be thousands of people at the tournament," Ron said. "No one will try anything in full view of the public, even if it is muggles."

"And we're with Yugi, Ryou and Malik," Harry added. "They're probably some of the safest people we could be hanging around with."

Mrs Weasley still did not look comforted, but there was little she could do about it. All three of them were legal adults in the eyes of the wizarding world, and she had no right to stop them any longer. That didn't mean she was happy about it by any means. Though the Death Eaters were still very much active, no one had seen or heard anything about their omnipotent leader for months – there were rumours flying around that he was gone, but no one really believed them, for the Death Eaters would surely have stop their activities with no master to follow. No one seemed to know where the Dark Lord was. He had retreated to the shadows, leaving his minions in the public light. But for whatever reason, the Death Eaters continued their attacks on innocents, and it was still looking pretty bleak.

"If there's even the slightest hint of trouble," Hermione began. "We'll…"

"Do what you always do and jump right into it?" Mrs Weasley finished with a raised eyebrow. The three friends opened their mouths, but the matriarch of the family continued. "I know you three too well to know that you'd just come straight home if that was the case."

Harry tried to deny this, but he realised quickly that he couldn't deny it because it was true. No matter how dangerous, they always jumped into trouble headfirst. Instead he hung his head and smiled sheepishly.

"Just look after each other," Mrs Weasley said. "And be very careful."

"We will," Ron nodded, looking thoroughly bored by all the anxiety his mother was displaying.

"We'd better get moving," Hermione said briskly. "We'll need to leave our luggage at the pub before we meet up with our friends."

Mrs Weasley stepped back, as Harry, Ron and Hermione turned to face the fire place. Ron stepped forward first, throwing a fist full of floo powder into the fire and positioning himself and his bag as well as he could manage.

"Diagon Alley!"

OOO

"Ryou."

The knocking continued.

"You'll miss breakfast, son."

No answer was forthcoming. Ryou's gaze was focused on the sink, the rushing of the liquid that poured from the tap, and the crimson water that washed away down the plughole, taking his sin with it.

There was the sound of the door shutting – his father must have given up. Ryou was alone with his troubled thoughts. He had left the Ring and by extension Bakura in his bag. He knew his yami would be angry at being stuck, but he would deal with that later. Right now he just wanted to wash the blood away, and try to forget about the nightmare that had been his sleep.

The lock clicked and Ryou jumped as the door swung open. For a second he thought it was Bakura, but reason caught up quickly – Bakura couldn't manifest a solid form unless Ryou was wearing the Ring. Rather than the jagged mane of white, a mop of blonde hair stood in the door, and Ryou was startled out of his thoughts.

"Malik what are you doing in here?"

"Your father let me in," Malik explained. "But I would have come in anyway. Our beds are against the same wall. I could hear you last night."

Ryou's face flushed, and he turned back to the sink.

"That man's face won't leave me alone," he whispered.

Malik chewed his lip. Ryou's revelation the night before had horrified him and yet at the same time, made a lot of sense. Ever since the Underground when Ryou had hugged him as though his life depended on it, he had clung to the side of his friends like glue. And Malik had thought he had just been sick of his father's company. The truth was he had been looking for comfort; for an anchor to reality.

"What am I going to do?" Ryou asked. "I'll never escape this."

Malik took a step forward and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"You don't need to escape it Ryou."

"But...but I can't live with blood on my hands like this," Ryou's aforementioned appendages were shaking, water droplets flying into the sink. Malik turned the smaller duellist around, taking his hands firmly.

"I don't see any blood Ry," he told him gently. "It's all up here." He touched the side of his friend's white head. Ryou swallowed.

"I'm scared Malik," he whispered. "What if I do it again?"

"You won't," Malik said, gripping his hands tightly. "I won't let you. I promise."

Impulsively as Ryou had done yesterday, Malik pulled him into a hug. He was steady and strong and his arms seemed to barricade the darkness away. Ryou didn't shed any tears – he had done enough of that – he just clung to his best friend as he clung to the promise. Everything would be alright...it had to be.

OOO

London was always busy, but over the summer holidays and in light of such a big tournament taking place, you could barely move down the street for the sheer amount of people. Taxis hooted obnoxiously at the gridlock as though doing so would miraculously make the traffic vanish, and surges of people walked in and out of the Underground stations like an ever flowing river.

It was from the Underground station at Charring Cross that the large group arrived. Yugi, Joey, Tristan and Duke began counting the taxis, having placed bets on the number they would see between here and the Leaky Cauldron. Mai, Tea and Serenity were discussing the vast amounts of shopping they were planning to do at Covent Garden Market, Oxford Street and Marble Arch, and all of them were very giggly. Rebecca was giving input occasionally but seemed to be more interested in discussing the tournament with Malik and Ryou, the latter whom was having an ongoing argument with the former.

"Are you sure you don't need to stop and get some paracetamol?"

"No Ryou, honestly, I'm fine," Malik soothed. "Those fangirls down there made my ears ring, and I didn't sleep well last night."

Ryou felt guilty. He knew that was probably his fault, and he swore he would keep the noise down tonight, nightmares or not.

"So where exactly is this place?" Serenity asked.

"Right here," Yugi said, looking on the other side of the road, where the pub was located. He scanned the road before smiling. "Twenty seven taxis. I win the bet you guys."

"How does he do that?" Tristan complained, fishing a ten pound note out of his pocket. Joey was also handing money over, looking put out, but ultimately unsurprised. He knew betting against Yugi had very little hope of a good outcome.

"Yami says, you don't bet against the King," Yugi said, his cheeks turning a little pink as he pressed the button for the traffic lights. "Let's head in."

He did not want to say anything, but he was anxious that the aurors would catch up with them. Like clockwork, they had been huddled unsubtly in the corner of the hotel reception when they had come down for breakfast. Yami and Bakura had made themselves scarce while the living ate their morning meal, and had returned just as they were finishing up, with slightly creepy grins on their faces. When asked what they had done by their respective hikari's, both had explained (via mindlink) that they had released several of their monsters, had Dark Magician disguise them in their clothes, and asked them to lead the aurors in a loop around the streets for an hour. It seemed both spirits had got a great deal of amusement watching the Ministry officials chase them down the busy London road.

"Umm...where exactly is this place?" Tea asked, looking left and right along the row of shops. "Because I don't see any pub."

"Me neither," Mai noted. "Are you sure this is the right street?"

"Yeah about that," Malik began sheepishly. "Muggle's can't see the pub. Only people with magic can."

"So how are we supposed to get in?" Serenity asked curiously.

"Interesting thing about Muggle repellent charms," Yugi filled in. "They work on a system of belief. Normally when they're cast on a building the person suddenly believes they have something important they have to do and they leave before they get close. However if you are really convinced the building is there, you can see it...eventually. When we get close to it, you'll be able to see."

In fact they were standing right in front of the door before everyone but Yugi, Ryou, Malik and Joey (unsurprisingly) gave a start and jumped back. The pub seemed to have just materialised right in front of their noses. The four unsurprised people just laughed.

"Your faces were brilliant!" Joey snickered, and he suddenly found himself on the receiving end of a double headlock from Tristan and Duke.

"So how could you see it?" Duke demanded. "Because I didn't see you going to Hogwarts last year."

"I think holding Hermos has something to do with it," Yugi said shrewdly. "Let's head in."

He held the door open, and allowed Tea, Serenity and Mai to head in first. Tea gave him a wide grin as he passed and Yugi felt his face colour again. Yami was chuckling in the back of his mind, and Yugi didn't need the link to know what the Pharaoh was thinking right now.

"Yugi! Guys! Over here!"

Waving from a table in the corner sat Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. None of them had changed much, except Ron was taller (if at all possible) and Harry's hair was in desperate need of a cut. All three of them were dressed down for the summer heat, making a change from the usual robes they wore around school.

"Good to see you guys," Yugi greeted. There were no hugs in greeting. They might have reconciled over saving the school, and they might all be friends, but a hug seemed a bit inappropriate.

"You too," Ron nodded. "Did you get taller Yugi?"

Yugi grinned, but it was short-lived as Malik butted in.

"Oh no Ron, I think _you're _the one that's got taller. Yugi's shrunk if anything."

"Oh shut up," Yugi muttered. "I'm not that short!"

"Excuse me, Tom," Ryou stepped over to the bar, where the bartender was eyeing the large group with a hint of curiosity. He recognised Ryou however after his regular visits to London over the summer. "Is there any chance we could have some more chairs?"

"Sure thing Ryou."

"I didn't think we were staying here for that long," Harry said. "I thought you guys wanted to see the city?"

"We do," Joey said. "But we've got some things to discuss first."

The tone of his voice was not very happy, and Harry, Ron and Hermione exchanged anxious looks. This sounded like something they didn't want to hear, but were going to have to anyway.

"You're...Joey right?" Ron asked. Out of all of Yugi's close friends, none of them had met the blonde duellist before, as he had been soulless in Domino Hospital during their brief flight to Japan last June. Joey beamed.

"That's me! East Asian Duel Monsters Champion!"

"And you don't ever let us forget it," Tea scolded, but there was too much affection in her voice to be completely admonishing. She sat down on one of the free chairs, along with Serenity, Rebecca and Mai, while the boys stood and waited for the extra seats to arrive.

"We saw the Japanese Regionals on TV over Christmas," Harry explained. "You were great!"

Joey's smile didn't waver. "It was a great tournament. But if you think that was good just wait till you see the World Championships. This is the year I finally beat Rich Boy!"

"Not if I beat you first," Mai smirked from across the table.

"You guys haven't been introduced yet have you?" Yugi interjected, remembering now that there were quite a few people around the table who had not met their friends from Hogwarts before.

"We met last year...sort of," Tea gave a sheepish grin to the three wizards. "I'm Tea."

"You're the one who sent all those letters to Yugi last year," Hermione remembered. Tea blushed.

"Well...yeah. I missed him!"

"You missed _all _of them Tea," Tristan corrected with a sneaky smile. Tea's face went red, and she struggled to pick up her words.

"Oh shut up!"

Yugi had gone crimson by this point too, and it was Ryou who stepped in to save his friends from further embarrassment.

"You met Tristan too I believe," he added. Tristan stopped snickering enough to smile at the three. He had reservations about meeting these three after everything that had happened between them over the last year, but he did not begrudge them a nice greeting.

"I'm Rebecca Hawkins!" the spunky American picked up the line of introductions.

"Duke Devlin," Duke was next. "And if Rebecca bugs you, I'm the one responsible."

"Hey!" Rebecca pouted. "I'm not that annoying!"

No one wanted to comment on that statement.

"I'm Serenity Wheeler," Serenity said, with a pretty and welcoming smile.

"You're Joey's sister, right?" Hermione seemed to sense that Serenity was a much, if not quieter then saner presence than the rest of the group, and she instantly liked her. The redhead nodded instantly, and gave her brother a proud smile.

"Mai Valentine," the final newcomer introduced briefly, ignoring the eyebrows that went up at her name. She was used to that kind of reaction.

Harry was trying to place everything he had heard about their classmates friends with their respective person. He knew that Serenity was Joey's sister, definitely. He remembered that Malik would often comment on Yugi and Tea when their short friend was not in earshot, and he guessed there was something between them. And he remembered hearing that Joey apparently had a thing for Mai. He also remembered that Duke was a game creator, and Rebecca was the American National Champion...but she didn't look old enough to be in secondary school!

"I'm Hermione Granger," Hermione had taken it upon herself to do their (far shorter) round of introductions. "And this is Ron Weasley and Harry Potter. We've heard so much about you all."

That was stretching the truth a bit, since most of what they had heard had been bits and pieces of information thrown into conversation randomly. Any further introductions were halted temporarily by Tom.

"If you all want drinks they're on the house," the bartender said, as he began waving his wand and summoning empty chairs from across the room. Rebecca let out a startled squeak as one skidded dangerously close to her, and Mai was looking mildly impressed.

"Are you sure?" Yugi asked. "That's really nice of you Tom."

"Not at all Yugi," Tom gave his toothless smile. "Your muggle tournament has drummed up more business in the last few weeks than I've seen in the last six months."

"Are all of you duellists?" Harry asked, wondering just how many people squished around their table now would actually be competing.

"Not all of us," Tristan shook his head. "Yugi, Joey, Ryou, Malik, Mai and Rebecca are all in the Championships, the rest of us are either casual players, or don't play at all."

"The kid is competing?" Ron was looking at Rebecca incredulously.

"I'm not a kid! I'm a college student!" Rebecca snapped.

"Excuse me?" Harry asked, quite sure he had misheard.

"Rebecca's a prodigy," Yugi explained under his breath. Hermione's eyes went wide, and Harry looked stunned.

"Proda-what?" Ron asked.

"She's a genius, Ron," Hermione explained. Rebecca looked smug.

"G-E-N-I-U-S!" she spelled out loud.

"And if you ask her nicely, she'll spell 'obnoxious' for you too," Joey interjected. He yelped as Rebecca kicked him under the table. Tristan also winced, as he was sitting next to Joey and with such little room at their table, had also taken some of the blow. There was a round of snickering.

Yugi sighed, not wanting to break the happy mood, but knowing this needed to be addressed quickly, and nodded to Ryou, who pulled out his wand and tapped the table. There was a small blue hue that surrounded the occupants briefly, before if died down and vanished.

"What was that?" Ron asked.

"Speech masking spell," Ryou said. "Anyone listening in will just hear us speaking Italian."

"Good idea," Malik nodded. "We don't want to be overheard."

"So are we getting to the point?" Joey asked. "Because I'm about as lost as everyone else on this table. Why the meeting Yugi?"

Yugi handed control of his body over to Yami. The Pharaoh looked grim, and got straight to the point.

"We have a problem," he began.

"Because that doesn't sound ominous," Tristan muttered, and he yelped as Tea smacked him round the head.

"Shh!" she ordered. Yami gave her a slightly grateful look.

"The night before last, Bakura found out that the Ministry of Magic have taken some of the Orichalcos stones for testing."

The reaction of the table was not hard to predict. Joey, Tristan and Duke immediately began to curse, and Rebecca and Tea looked horrified. Harry, Ron and Hermione were scowling at the stupidity of their own government, but Mai was the worst. She had gone incredibly pale, and her whole body went rigid with fear. Joey spotted this and without thinking, took one of her hands in his own under the table.

"How could they even think of testing that stuff?" Rebecca demanded. "Surely they know it's dangerous?"

"They do know it's dangerous," Malik agreed. "That's why they want to test it."

"They're just sticking their noses into magic they couldn't hope to understand," Joey growled.

"How badly will the stones affect us?" Mai asked shakily. "Being in the same city I mean. I know you guys were having nightmares while you were at school."

"They shouldn't affect us," Yami shook his head. "We'd have to be in the same building I believe...having said that, I don't know where the Ministry is..."

"We do," Harry said. "You got a map?"

Ryou, who was the only one who had thought to bring everything from his registration pack, dug around in his bag, before producing the map of London and a pen.

"There it is," Hermione pointed. "Whitehall. Just south of Charing Cross."

"So it's a fair distance away," Mai sounded relieved about that.

"Where exactly are they keeping it, did they say?" Harry asked.

"The Department of Mysteries are the ones testing it," Ryou filled in.

"You'll be fine then," Ron shrugged. "That Department of Mysteries is way underground. There's no way you could sense it all the way at your hotel."

The worry vanished from everyone's faces, but Harry was looking a little dark. He did not like to be reminded of the Department of Mysteries.

"So anything else we need to know?" Duke asked.

"Only that there will probably be some aurors tailing us throughout our stay," Yami added.

"Which definitely isn't a good thing," Bakura said, swiftly taking control of Ryou's body. "As well as cornering Fletcher-"

"Mundungus?" Harry interrupted.

"Yes, that was him," Bakura confirmed, a little annoyed at being interrupted. "As well as cornering him and finding out about the stones, Ryou and I have also found out that we're going to be watched by aurors for the duration of our stay here."

"Why?" Tristan's voice was incredulous. "What's the point?"

"With an investigation into the Orichalcos stones," Yami explained, before Bakura could open his mouth. "Our names have been called into question, and so the Ministry are keeping tabs on us to see if they can gain any solid evidence."

"Evidence?!" Joey was fuming. "You went to that school to _protect _people! Don't they realise that?!"

"The deal with Dumbledore to protect the school was a private one," Ryou explained. "No one in the Ministry knew about it. As far as they were aware, our talents were discovered late, thanks to the Death Eater attack in the park last summer, and we were given the opportunity to study at Hogwarts to see if we wanted to be accepted into the magical world."

"Which of course makes it all the more suspicious," Hermione interjected, looking a little nervous about broaching her theories in the company of a group of people, most of whom she didn't know. "It's not every day that three students are accepted into Hogwarts with no previous magical training, and especially not when there are perfectly good magic schools closer to Japan. It's surprising the Ministry didn't get suspicious before. You all showed up right when the attacks were getting bigger and more public."

"And since you are the ones who gave Dumbledore, and by extension the Ministry, all the information about the Orichalcos," Tea ventured aloud. "They must have started to wonder just how you came by that information."

Joey thumped his head against the table in exasperation. Mai and Tristan pulled him upright to stop him from concussing himself.

"There's more," Ryou said carefully. He really didn't want to talk about this, but it was important. "After Bakura and I overheard Adams – the auror – talking about watching us, I followed him to an alley. He was meeting with a muggle man...and a Death Eater."

Everyone at the table looked worried at this, but Harry, Ron and Hermione looked positively horrified.

"He was meeting a Death Eater of his own free will?!" Harry demanded.

"Was he off his rocker or something?" Ron spluttered.

"No, this seemed to be some sort of prior engagement," Ryou said. "They had all met before."

"You said his name was Adams," Yami asked. "Does the name mean anything to you three?"

"Doesn't ring a bell," Ron shrugged. "But from what my Dad has told me there are so many aurors in and out of the Ministry that you lose track. They don't tend...well, with the war and everything, they don't tend to last very long."

No one needed to ask what that meant.

"Did you get the Death Eater's name?" Hermione prompted.

Ryou swallowed thickly, and he felt Malik grip his arm under the table. "No...but Bakura recognised him from the pictures in the Prophet – it was Rookwood."

"Rookwood," Harry went pale. "Oh man..."

"Is that bad?" Joey asked. Everyone else on the table who was not a wizard or an Item bearer had fallen silent, trying to keep up with the conversation.

"That's very bad," Hermione groaned. "Rookwood used to work in the Department of Mysteries, during Voldemort's first uprising."

"Got himself chucked in Azkaban – that's the wizard prison," Ron added, seeing the blank looks on the faces of most of Yugi's friends. "But he escaped over a year ago with a bunch of other Death Eaters."

"So he would have had intricate knowledge of the Department and just where they're possibly keeping the Orichalcos stones now," Yami summarised, a dark note in his voice. "That doesn't bode well."

"Then it's a good thing that the Shadows had his entrails for breakfast yesterday morning," Bakura put in swiftly. Several people grimaced.

"That was more than we needed to know," Harry assured him.

"What about the other guy you said was in the alley?" Joey prompted Ryou.

"And are you sure it was a muggle?" Hermione questioned. "Only I can't see one, let alone two wizards meeting a muggle out in the open, especially not if one of those wizards was a Death Eater."

"Positive," Ryou took control back from Bakura again. "The Death Eater addressed him as one. He said," he frowned trying to remember the exact words. "_Don't forget by who's hand you're still free_."

"Who's hand?" Harry asked. "Rookwood's?"

"No," Ryou shook his head. "I think he was referring to Voldemort. The muggle certainly seemed to know about him. He mentioned his disappearance and the Death Eater got mad."

The idea that Voldemort might have known this muggle was a bit too much for Harry to wrap his head around, so he quickly thought of something else to ask.

"What did the muggle look like?"

"I didn't see him properly," Ryou shrugged. "It was too dark. I heard his voice though, and it didn't sound British."

"Yeah because that _totally _narrows our options down," Ron said sarcastically, and he yelped as Hermione kicked him in the shins.

"He has a point though," Harry said grimly. "London is one of, if not _the_ most culturally diverse societies in Britain."

Ryou was still thinking however. Something had occurred to him that had been driven out of his mind with the Death Eater (he couldn't think of him as Rookwood – it felt like giving him a name would make it more real) and getting to the tournament. He was positive that the muggle's accent had been familiar. Not in an instantly recognisable way, but something about the way he spoke reminded him of something, but he couldn't think what.

"Ugh this is too much to think about," Malik thumped his head against the table, in an accurate imitation of Joey mere minutes before.

"Yeah, Malik is right," Duke said. "And there isn't a whole lot we can do if someone inside the wizard government is snitching. It's not like anyone will believe us."

It was sad, but true.

"And here I was thinking we could go one tournament without something weird happening," Tristan muttered.

"We still might," Tea pointed out. Everyone looked at her strangely. "I mean," she tried to pick up. "We know we're being followed by aurors, but we don't have anything to do with the Orichalcos – not in a malevolent way anyway. So we just need to be careful what we do or speak about in public, and they shouldn't have reason to interfere."

"I suppose," Yami conceded. "I just thought everyone should know before the tournament began."

"Probably a good thing," Hermione shrugged. "If we hadn't known we were being tailed by aurors, we might have thought they were Death Eaters instead and attacked them."

She had a very good point, and everyone else nodded. Rebecca filled the temporary silence by getting to her feet.

"Well I don't know about everyone else," she said. "But I could stand to get out of this pub and do something to take my mind off of all this serious stuff."

Serenity nodded. "It's good that we were warned," she assured Yami. "But maybe we should just enjoy ourselves here while we can for now. If something happens, we'll all be ready for it."

"Don't jinx it sis," Joey warned. "We've got a whole week and a bit here. Plenty of time for something weird to happen."

This raised a few chuckles, and Tea and Mai both stood up.

"Well, I'm with Serenity," Tea smiled. "And Oxford Street won't wait forever." As if on cue, all the boys groaned.

"We don't want to spend the whole day shopping!" Tristan groaned.

"No one is asking the boys to come," Serenity pointed out, leaning over and taking Hermione by the hand with a wide smile. "We girls can shop on our own!"

"Erm...are you sure?" Hermione asked. Friendly though they might be, she didn't know any of the three women or Rebecca that well, and she thought she might feel out of place.

"Positive," Serenity said warmly.

"Wait a minute," Joey said. "Do you really think we're going to let you five girls wander around London on your own when we know there are Death Eaters at large?"

Serenity and Rebecca's faces fell. Tea looked a bit put out, and Mai gave a melodramatic sigh. "We aren't five years old Joey Wheeler. We can take care of ourselves."

"Not against magic you can't," Malik pointed out, thinking he was being helpful. He cowered slightly under the five glares he received in return. "I'm just saying!"

"I'm legally an adult in the eyes of the wizarding world, just the same as you are Malik," Hermione growled. While not as anxious to go shopping as the others, she could not stand being coddled.

"Yeah, no offence Malik, but it's true," Ron agreed. "Hermione knows more magic than the entire faculty of Hogwarts put together."

"You're a prodigy too?" Rebecca sounded highly interested now, and Hermione blushed.

"I'm not really that..."

"Don't lie, you're brilliant," Ron continued, before realising that everyone was giving him sly looks, and his ears turned pink. "What? It's true."

"I'm not happy either," Yami admitted. "It's very dangerous to be wandering with no protection."

"We're in the middle of the most crowded city in England," Tea pointed out.

"I have an idea," Ryou quickly interjected, holding out his mobile phone. "You girls take my phone. Malik has his, and Yugi will have his. If anything goes wrong you can call us."

It was not the most ideal situation, but it was a slight amount of reassurance, and Rebecca quickly pocketed the phone.

"Call us when you want to meet for lunch," Malik suggested.

"And give me and Joey a ring too," Yugi added, Yami having retreated back to his soul room.

"You're not coming with us?" Harry asked in surprise.

"Dumbledore is meeting us here in twenty five minutes," Yugi explained quickly, and Harry's eyebrows arched into his hair.

"Why is he meeting you?"

"Mundungus I imagine," Yugi shrugged. "Either way, we want some answers and he's going to give them."

"Can I stay too?" Harry asked. He was curious to see what the headmaster wanted to meet with them about.

"If you want," Joey said. "We were just going to meet up with everyone else later."

"We should get moving too," Ryou said, as the group of five girls left the pub. He didn't want to stay around and risk meeting the headmaster – he had his own secrets to keep.

"We'll call you if something comes up," Malik promised.

"Let's hope it doesn't," Yugi muttered, wishing more than ever that they could just have a quiet holiday.

OOO

How can the girls shop all day?" Tristan asked. "We've been looking around shops for forty five minutes and I'm already bored!"

"Well there are other things to do in London," Ryou said patiently.

"Like what?" Ron asked. "I've never been around muggle London that much. Only around Diagon Alley."

Ryou rolled his eyes.

"You're really sheltered in the wizarding world," Malik shook his head. "You're surrounded by all this city life, all these buildings, and all this history, and you want to stick to one street?"

Ron just shrugged. He really didn't have an answer to that. Not to mention it had only just occurred to him that after spending the majority of his life trapped underground, the idea of not wanting to explore everything possible was a foreign concept for the Egyptian.

"Well we could slowly head back towards Marble Arch," Malik was talking again. "The girls will want to meet for lunch soon no doubt, and Yugi, Joey and Harry have to fill us in on what happened with Du...mph!"

"Keep your voice down!" Bakura hissed, taking over Ryou's body temporarily and clapping his hand over his friend's mouth. "Anyone could be listening!"

"Alright sorry!" Malik protested, rolling his eyes. Another stab of pain ran through his head, and he rubbed his left temple irritably.

"Dude, are you okay?" Tristan asked, seeing the scowl and the brief moment of discomfort on his friend's face. "You don't look so good."

"Thanks Tristan, you look lovely too," Malik replied dryly. "Let's just stop hanging around this noisy street and find something fun to do. Something that doesn't involve shops."

"Well there's the Tate and the National Gallery," Ryou recited from memory.

"Aww art is so boring," Ron complained. "We have enough portraits in Hogwarts – and those ones actually move!"

Ryou gave him a condescending look for his lack of appreciation for art, before continuing. "Well then the Science and Natural History museum aren't far away..."

"No museums!" Malik protested. "Big sister practically has me living in the museum in Cairo this summer!"

Ryou sighed, knowing he should have seen this coming – Malik had a holiday job working at the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities – a job which also allowed Ishizu to keep a close eye on him. The request of no museums also eliminated the War Museums too (not that Ryou was particularly keen to see those).

"The London Eye?"

"No offence Ryou," Duke began, twirling the dice earring around in his fingers. "But standing on, what is effectively a giant Ferris Wheel for half an hour does not appeal to me."

"The Globe Theatre?"

"It's a reconstruction, it's not the real thing," Tristan pointed out.

"The Tower of London?"

"Maybe in the afternoon," Malik suggested. "But we won't get round it before we have to meet the others for lunch."

Ryou was getting exasperated now. "Buckingham Palace?"

"Oh please," Tristan muttered. "It's not like we'd be lucky enough to see the Queen."

The mane of white hair made contact with an open palm. "You guys have eliminated just about every tourist attraction in London except the Aquarium!"

A long silence followed this proclamation, before Duke smirked.

"Then the London Aquarium it is! Let's go!"

Ryou rolled his eyes as they headed for the Underground.

"And by the way Tristan," the white haired boy added. "The flag isn't flying at Buckingham Palace today, so the Queen is not in residence. She's at Windsor."

Tristan sighed. "Smartass."

Ryou, feeling more at ease than he had in the past few days, and far more cheeky because of it, smirked back, looking worryingly like his yami. "You're just jealous," he proclaimed lightly, as they reached the ticket barriers. Everyone immediately rummaged for their Oyster cards, while Ron just looked confused.

"Erm...guys?" he asked, and everyone groaned.

"Nuts," Tristan muttered. "We need to get Ron a ticket. He doesn't have passes like us."

Ryou sighed, and hastily joined the queue, with his friends right behind him. It was not rush-hour busy, but they were still surrounded by people, pushing past each other to get in and out of the station. Ryou stepped forwards as the queue moved, and immediately someone walked into him and sent him landing on his backside. A rough voice bit out an angry snap.

"Watch where you're going kid!"

Ryou was about to stumble out an apology, but as soon as he looked at the man's face, he could not move. He was no longer on the floor in Charing Cross station. There were no friends surrounding him to see if he was alright. There were no noisy Londoners pushing their way across the stone floor. There was just the man, the auror, Rookwood and that dark alley all over again, with their voices echoing with the argument on whether to kill him...

/_Ryou!_/

His yami's shout cut through his flashback, and was immediately followed by a startled gasp from Malik, followed by a bark of a name tinged with a hint of the Egyptian's accent that had struggled through when he had spoke.

"Oshar!"

The man bolted from the station.

Ryou could not process what was happening fast enough. Malik was immediately leaping over him and racing after the man, out into the crowded street from where they had just come.

"Malik!" Ron shouted.

"Dude, where are you-" Duke stopped as he realised he would not be getting an answer, and Tristan seized Ryou under the arms and hauled him upright.

"Come on!"

Ryou picked up his feet and followed his friends out of the station.

"Oshar! Stop damn you!" Malik spat, not realising he had lapsed back into Arabic at the sight of the man. Several people on the street shot him strange looks at his raised voice, but most just went about their business. He kept his eyes locked on the thinning dark brown hair that was making tracks as quickly away from him as possible. He knew his friends were right behind him, but he could not afford to stop or slow down to inform them as to why he had taken off so suddenly.

The crowds thickened considerably as they headed south, but Oshar kept to the road, barging past shoppers and businessmen and continuing on at a run. Malik cursed loudly as he crashed into people, further slowing him down. He was gaining as the crowd let up slightly, when Oshar did something very stupid, bordering on potentially suicidal. He dashed across the busy London road, without looking first.

Malik's breath caught in his throat, worried that his quarry would shortly be flattened by an oncoming black taxi. But the thin brown hair bobbed along on the other side and he narrowed his eyes and took a step off the road. A horn beeped at him loudly and something red moved in the corner of his eye. He heard his friends yell behind him and he threw himself back on to the pavement just in time to avoid being flattened by the oncoming double decker bus.

"What are you, crazy?!" the driver bellowed, looking as terrified as Malik felt.

"S-sorry!" Malik spluttered out, hastily scanning the other side of the road, which was quickly blocked from his sight as the bus driver began moving again before he could hold up the traffic too much. By the time the hulking red vehicle disappeared, Oshar had gone from sight. Malik swore loudly drawing several reproachful looks.

"What were you thinking?!" Ryou demanded of him, his cheeks pink with anger and exertion. Before Malik could reply, Ryou had seized him in a relieved hug, as the rest of their friends skidded to a halt next to them.

"You were almost flattened!" Ron added needlessly. "Who was that bloke?"

Malik had not realised he was panting for breath, and the congestion from the traffic was not helping, nor had his sudden bout of spontaneous exercise done his headache any good. He ground his teeth and mentally cursed himself for not being faster and grabbing the man when he had first seen him.

"He's a former Tomb Keeper," he explained briefly. "Name's Oshar. He used to keep most of the texts underground. We lost contact a while ago, and he never responded to Ishizu's message last year."

Ryou's eyes went wide, and Bakura started swearing in his head.

"Are you positive that was him?" the hikari asked urgently.

"Of course I am Ry," Malik said, slightly snappish now. "I'd never forget Oshar. He was one of the men that cornered me and dragged me to my father for the Tomb Keepers Initiation."

Ryou swallowed thickly. "Because he was the muggle in the alley the other night."

Now it was Malik's turn to look stunned. "What?!"

Ryou nodded. "I knew I'd heard that voice before." He smacked himself suddenly. "That's why it was so familiar! He has an Egyptian accent, just like you do when you're speaking Arabic! I recognise it now!"

"Wait..." Ron was struggling to keep up, but he did know something that caused the hair on the back of his neck to stand up. He suddenly remembered the Pharaoh's warning about being watched by aurors, and dropped his voice to a whisper. "Did you say this bloke was the guy meeting with Rookwood and that auror?"

"Yes," Ryou nodded with certainty. Ron gulped.

"Then this could be very bad," he muttered.

"No duh," Malik rolled his eyes. "What gave it away?"

"I don't mean because he's a Tomb Guardian or whatever you lot called yourselves," Ron said impatiently. He turned and pointed down the street in the direction that Oshar had just run. "We're standing across from Whitehall, and that big building over there at the end is the muggle entrance for the Ministry of Magic!"

OOO

"How on Earth does she _do this_?" Hermione asked, her voice tinged with disbelief and a hint of exhaustion. She, Tea and Serenity were sitting outside the fitting rooms of yet another clothes shop in their marathon excursion. They were already feeling slightly worn out and they still had the other half of Oxford Street and Harrods to go that afternoon.

Currently Mai was squirreled away in one of the fitting rooms, and Tea, Serenity and Hermione had seated themselves gratefully in the chairs just outside. Rebecca was still wandering around the store, though Tea had a hunch that this was only to relieve boredom, for the child prodigy had tired of clothes shopping first.

"I think she's using shopping as a way of taking her mind off what Yugi said this morning," Serenity said thoughtfully.

"Yeah, now that I think about it," Tea muttered. "She's been a lot quieter since the meeting. I guess she's really worried."

"Aren't we all?" Hermione sighed. Tea and Serenity exchanged looks. Both girls knew just how dangerous the situation was, having lived through various incidences involving the Orichalcos before, and Tea knew that Mai had more reason than others to be afraid of the ancient magic, but that was Mai's business and not Hermione's. Their dark exchange was interrupted by Rebecca returning, looking a little huffier than usual.

"You okay Rebecca?" Tea asked. The girl scoffed.

"Yeah, I just got tired of looking around. The security guard on the door was giving me weird looks – probably thought I was going to steal something. Trust Mai to choose the expensive shops with paranoid security..."

Hermione had gathered that griping was how Rebecca behaved normally, and so she just smiled. Her initial awkwardness around the other girls had vanished quickly – all of them had been friendly to her. She connected quite well with Tea, given that they were both in the situation where their best friends were all boys. Her initial impression of Mai was of someone who was usually outgoing and knew how to handle herself, though it was true she had been quite withdrawn since leaving the Leaky Cauldron. Serenity appeared shy at first, but now she was surrounded by friends she had become chatty, though Hermione got the impression that she was slightly naive as well.

Strangely it had been the youngest in the group she had become friends with first. She had quickly got into a political discussion with Rebecca, and found that the eleven year old was skilled in the art of debate, if a little fond of her own voice. Hermione did have uncomfortable moments though when Rebecca's attitude reminded her of how she used to behave before she met Harry and Ron. It did not matter though, as she suspected Rebecca would grow out of that in time, just as she had.

Thinking of her two best friends made her smile, something which Tea did not miss.

"You look happier," she said. Hermione smiled.

"Just wondering what the boys were up to," she explained. "I hope they're not getting into trouble."

"If Harry and Ron are anything like Joey and the others, trouble tends to follow them," Serenity said with a wry look. Hermione giggled slightly.

"Besides," Rebecca said, plonking herself into a seat. "It's not like we're bad company, right?"

"Not at all," Hermione shook her head. "It's nice to hang round with girls for a change. I mean I love the boys, but sometimes they're just such..._boys_!"

"I know what you mean," Tea nodded with a grin.

"Yeah how many times did you declare during the KC Championships that you needed female friends?" Rebecca smirked, a teasing glint in her eyes.

"I lost count," Tea shook her head. "I mean I love them all too, but when Joey and Tristan start goofing off sometimes I could bang their heads together...no offence," she added, to Serenity.

"None taken," she assured her. "I know what you mean too. Duke and Tristan's fighting can be so irritating too."

"Especially since it's you they fight over," Rebecca put in. Serenity blushed.

"Hey!" she protested. "It's not as though I ask for it!"

Hermione was surprised, for she had not witnessed anything that looked like fighting between the two aforementioned boys. She could understand why – petite, shapely and sweet natured, Serenity had a charm that could make any man's head turn. Still she could see why she might find attention from the two of them awkward, especially since they were supposed to be Joey's friends. She privately suspected this was the same reason why Harry had yet to make a move on Ginny.

"You know Duke only does it to wind Tristan up," Tea pointed out. Serenity shook her head in disgust, before rummaging in her handbag idly.

"So who wants to take bets on when my brother and Mai will get together?" she asked casually. Tea's jaw dropped. It was clearly the last thing she had expected her to say.

"Serenity!"

"Oh come on!" Serenity moaned. "You can't deny it's painful to watch them dance around each other."

None of them could really argue, but it was so surprising to hear it from Serenity of all people – she was normally so polite to everyone.

"If Yugi and the others had not told me they weren't dating, I would have assumed they were together already," Hermione admitted. "Why is it taking them so long?"

"Because Joey is scared," Rebecca said bluntly to her new friend.

"He's not a wimp, Rebecca," Tea defended automatically.

"I didn't say he was a wimp," Rebecca contradicted. "I said he was scared. Think about it. He lost Mai once, he's not going to risk telling her how he feels and her being frightened off."

Tea raised an eyebrow. It made sense to Hermione, but from the way Tea was looking, she suspected that it was a surprise to hear it from Rebecca.

"Why would Mai be frightened off though?" Hermione asked. "I could see right away in the Leaky Cauldron that they care loads for each other."

"The only person who doesn't know how much is themselves," Tea admitted, deftly making sure she didn't answer the first question – explaining everything that had happened in Battle City and during their last encounter with the Orichalcos would have taken all day – not to mention it was quite the horror story.

"They'll be together before the end of the trip," Serenity declared. "They've cleared the air between them and they're more secure in their friendship than they were in Battle City. I bet it takes them three days."

Rebecca thought hard and then stated. "The last day of the trip."

Tea sighed. "I bet five days," she said, fishing for money.

"I can keep the bet if you want," Hermione said, feeling a little out of place. After all she did not know that much about Joey or Mai and she did not feel she was in a position to make bets.

"Tea!" Mai Valentine's voice appeared from the fitting rooms and all four girls quickly hid the money being exchanged. Mai was trying on a pair of jeans, and holding a dark blue shirt threateningly.

"This one doesn't fit me. It might fit you though."

While Tea wouldn't say no to clothes, she was not half as enthusiastic as Mai was, and really did not want to get up now she had sat down...but it was a very nice shirt, so she got up and headed for the next fitting room down.

"I love the jeans Mai," Serenity commented. The blonde woman looked pleased.

"Hey now Tea's out of earshot," Rebecca smirked suddenly. "Who wants to bet on how long it takes her and Yugi to get together?"

Serenity and Hermione looked incredulous, but they wiped their faces quickly, while Mai just laughed.

"Rebecca..." Serenity said slowly. "Why are you advocating for those two to get together? Joey told me _you _had a crush on Yugi."

Mai's jaw fell open, and Hermione also looked surprised. Clearly she was not the only one who had not known this. Rebecca was only just eleven years old. Surely she was much too young to be crushing on Yugi. Okay he _looked_ like a twelve year old sometimes, but he was much too bashful for Rebecca. Rebecca rolled her eyes.

"I did not have a crush on him!"

"Oh..." Serenity looked abashed. "I'm sorry. It's just Joey said you were hanging off him during the KC Championships."

Rebecca huffed. "Oh come on! I only did that because it was fun to see him squirm. You know how cute Yugi is when he's embarrassed."

"That's true," Hermione nodded. "And it's obvious he likes Tea. You should have seen him at breakfasts at Hogwarts. He was always anxious for the mail to come. I mean he was worried about everyone of course, but he always read Tea's letters first. And he got this really wistful look in his eyes."

She snickered suddenly. "You should have seen his face on Valentine's Day. He got a letter from Tea that morning too, and Ron asked if she was his girlfriend. I have never seen someone go so pink!"

Rebecca and Serenity laughed and Mai shook her head.

"I was surprised there was nothing going on at Battle City," she admitted. "I saw those two on the night the tournament was announced and Tea was blushing when I asked her if they were on a date."

"They were on a date in Battle City?" Serenity squealed loudly. "Why did Joey never tell me this?!"

"It wasn't a date!" came Tea's yell from the fitting room, and all of them immediately fell silent. Serenity had just been loud enough to get into Tea's hearing range, and the brunette reappeared from behind the curtain of her fitting room, wearing the blue shirt.

"Nice shirt, Tea," Serenity said sheepishly. Tea did not look impressed.

"It was not a date," she repeated in a quieter voice. "I was just helping the Pharaoh feel better about his amnesia."

"The Pharaoh?" Hermione arched an eyebrow. This was getting interesting now.

"You mean you weren't with Yugi?" Rebecca sounded disappointed.

"No," Tea shook her head. "Yugi wanted me to go out with the Pharaoh."

"Why would Yugi want that?" Serenity asked, biting her lip before she could add, "_When it's obvious _he_ loves you._"

"Because he thought it would make me happy," Tea sighed, the embarrassment gone now in wake of the conflicting feelings she felt about this matter. "He knew I liked the Pharaoh."

"You like the Pharaoh?" Hermione was astounded. It had never crossed her mind that anyone could have feelings for someone who was, in effect, a wandering spirit.

"I _liked _the Pharaoh," Tea corrected firmly. "I...I don't anymore. I realised a while ago that it would never work."

It was blatantly obvious that she was lying, and it was obvious that she was uncomfortable about this. Mai, it seemed understood how she felt, and she quickly changed the subject.

"You should get the shirt Tea," she said quietly. Tea managed a small smile.

"You should get the jeans," she advised, and both women made their way back to the fitting rooms.

"Oops..." Serenity chewed her lip self consciously. "That was awkward."

"You don't say," Hermione muttered, her thoughts racing. "I would never have imagined that Tea would like Yami."

"But she loves Yugi too," Rebecca mused. "No one can argue that."

Behind the curtain Tea placed her head against the mirror and sighed. She tried to tell herself that it was okay – that she had not lied. But the truth was, she had. She did still like Yami – she just knew that nothing would ever have come of it, and she had given up hoping that it would. It had been over a year ago she had truthfully realised it, and it had taken the most heart wrenching moment of her life to shove the fact in front of her.

"_He'll never love me that way," _Tea thought, pulling the shirt off, her eyes looking past her reflection and thinking of the crimson gaze of the Pharaoh. "_There's only one person in the world he really loves like that...really _needs _like that...and it's not me."_

Abruptly the image changed to a young man with wide violet eyes and the most honest and open face in the world. Tea blinked and shook her head, feeling the heat fill her cheeks again.

There was no denying which way her heart went any longer.

OOO

Yugi sipped the last of his drink and levelled the headmaster with a look that he suspected he had inherited from Yami. The Pharaoh sat beside him in his own solid form, his own gaze as firm as stone. Joey had his arms folded and a slightly less hostile look. Harry was just plain curious as to why Dumbledore had summoned them (well, Yugi, Yami and Joey – he was just gatecrashing after all).

"I had an interesting conversation with Mundungus Fletcher," the headmaster began pleasantly, after the charm had been cast to mask their conversation. Yami had spotted the aurors sitting in the corner of the pub, almost as soon as Dumbledore had arrived. Yami raised an eyebrow, as though what the headmaster had said were news to him.

"Did you now?" he asked. Dumbledore inclined his head.

"He claims to have run into Mr Bakura's darker counterpart just outside Knockturn Alley the other evening."

"How interesting," Yami said dryly. "Bakura is doing nothing illegal I hope?"

"Not as such," Dumbledore admitted, stirring his drink. "However as I am sure you are now aware, the Ministry is having you watched."

Harry observed as the Pharaoh nodded. It was clear Dumbledore did not doubt the awareness the spirits had of their surroundings. Even if they had not been forewarned, they would have quickly realised that they had eyes on them.

"And in such a situation," Yami filled in. "You are concerned what conclusions they could jump to if they see Bakura around such a shady place, is that right?"

"Quite," Dumbledore nodded. "I am aware that I am in no position to give you orders. I do trust however that you will not get caught."

Yami smirked. "Believe me Professor, Bakura is good at what he does, be it breaking into buildings, or making friends with unsavoury people."

The headmaster allowed himself to smile. "I thought as much. I am sure therefore he has informed you of the state of the Ministry now?"

"Yes he has," Yami nodded. Joey however fiercely interjected.

"What are the Ministry on?" he demanded. "They know those stones are dangerous!"

"They do indeed," Dumbledore agreed. "And that is why they wish to study them. I'm afraid the Ministry has a habit of sticking their hands into the proverbial mousetrap."

"Was there nothing you could do to stop it?" Harry asked, already knowing what the answer would be. Dumbledore might have regained acclaim since Voldemort's return to power had been proved, but they still refused to listen to his suggestions.

"Unfortunately Harry, that was out of my power," the headmaster said gravely. "All they would accept, as has been the case since the Orichalcos was first brought to our attention, was my advice on how to handle the stones."

Yugi sighed. "They're messing with forces they cannot hope to understand."

Yami nodded in agreement. "Professor is there anything you can tell us about the manner in which the stones are being contained?"

Dumbledore nodded. "I have a few well placed contacts left in the Ministry who can be trusted. They have informed me that one of the Department's rooms has been set aside for experimentation and containment. It is all top secret and closely guarded of course...may I ask why?"

Yami shook his head. "Not good enough security in my opinion. It sounds like Bakura could break into there without breaking a sweat. While I am sure his experience is unparalleled, it still sounds as though –"

"-anyone at all could get in if they wanted," Yugi finished that thought. "If they knew what was down there in the first place. I'm assuming the Ministry is not making it public knowledge that they're testing?"

"Of course not," the headmaster shook his head. "But then I am sure you have gathered the state of the Ministry security for yourselves."

"Yeah, they're hopeless," Harry tagged on. "Especially if what Ryou found out the other night is true."

"That is a cause for concern," Yami nodded, before raising his head to look directly at Dumbledore again. "Professor, do you know of an auror named Adams, by chance?"

Dumbledore thought for a second. "I believe so, or at least, I know people who work with him."

Harry guessed he was referring to Kingsley Shacklebolt, but did not want to mention his name out loud in case anyone heard – the conversation masking charm did not translate names to listening ears obviously.

"Can you dig up anything on him for us?" the Pharaoh asked directly. "He may be...untrustworthy. Ryou reports he has been meeting with known Death Eaters."

Twin silver eyebrows arched into Dumbledore's hat. "I shall see to it immediately."

"Can we borrow Hedwig for the job, please Harry?" Yugi asked, his eyes wide and imploring. "We left Taiyo at home. Didn't think we needed him."

"No problem," Harry nodded. "It'll give her something to do."

"In the mean time, we should keep our eyes open for anything suspicious, especially at the tournament," Yugi added. "Anything bad that happens to us always seems to happen to us at a tournament."

It certainly sounded like the fact irritated him to extremes, and Harry felt he could sympathise. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't been through a single month of June since coming to Hogwarts without something strange and potentially dangerous happening to him.

"It seems to me," the headmaster said, idly. "That if you constantly run into trouble at tournaments, the wise thing to do would be to stop going."

Yugi, Yami and Joey looked scandalised.

"Are you out of your mind?" Joey demanded. "Tournaments are what we live for, even with all the life and death stuff we go through!"

Dumbledore was chuckling.

"So I can see, and that is why I meant my words as a jest. I can safely say that you cannot avoid problems in life, rather you sometimes have to go along and let fate run its course."

The words sounded so much like a premonition of sorts, that Yugi and Yami exchanged worried glances, wondering just what fate had planned for them this time around.

OOO

"Oshar, you say?" Yami asked, his brows lowering into a frown as he observed the Tomb Keeper. Malik nodded, fiddling with the lid on his bottle of coke.

"He fell off the record some years after we disbanded. No contact details or anything. He wasn't the only one, admittedly. There have been several ex Tomb Keepers who we've lost contact with, but most of them were from other factions of the clans that split off long ago."

"The clan was split?" Tea asked, curiously. None of them had ever heard Malik give so much information about the clans, even to Yami, and now he was talking freely they all had a lot of questions.

Malik nodded, before looking cautiously around the department store café to make sure that they were not being overheard. Currently the group was squished around two tables, with food and drink placed precariously on the crowded surface in front of them. Once satisfied, he began speaking again.

"When the Tomb Keepers clan was first established, we were one big group, living underground and protecting many things to do with the nameless Pharaoh – the Ishtars were charged with the Pharaoh's secret, as well as guarding the Tomb."

"You actually lived in the Tomb?" Harry asked, aghast at the idea of living in close proximity to dead corpses.

"Not actually in the Tomb itself," Malik corrected. "The network of chambers and tunnels that formed our home were adjoined to the Pharaoh's resting place. We were as close as we could be without disturbing the dead."

"What about the other factions of the clan?" Bakura asked, urgently.

"Several were charged with protecting the Item's resting place," Malik nodded in Bakura's direction.

"In other words, Shadi's clan," Bakura growled the name out. "Any others?"

"Those were the two main factions," Malik said. "There were a few smaller ones, mostly keeping records from that period of history, but nearly all of them fell into the Ishtar's possession over history, until it was just my clan and Shadi's left."

"And Oshar?" Duke asked. "How does he fit into all this?"

"He was like our clan's librarian," Malik explained. "Really secret texts were kept in strict possession of an Ishtar. After my father died, Ishizu took responsibility for them. However other information was available to any Tomb Keeper, and these were all managed by Oshar while I was alive."

"Let me get this straight," Tristan said slowly. "We just met a man on the street, who had, and probably still has access to almost all the information the Tomb Keepers had on the Millennium Items?"

"Yes," Malik nodded. "That's why it worried Ishizu when we lost contact with him after we disbanded. That amount of information running around unchecked could be devastating if in the wrong hands."

"And he's in the Ministry of Magic's hands…" Ron muttered.

"Are you sure that building was your Ministry?" Joey asked.

"Of course," Ron nodded. "It's the centre for all wizarding activity in Britain. I'd have to be totally thick not to know where it was."

"But why would he be there in the first place?" Rebecca asked. "It's not like he has magic and could just walk in."

"Oshar has no magic," Malik agreed. "And that's what worries me. How could he know of the Ministry in the first place?"

"He was definitely the muggle in the alley?" Yami asked. Ryou's gaze was fixed somewhere over his shoulder, lost in the memory of that night, and so Bakura answered for him.

"Definitely. That voice was exactly the same."

"But how could he have known a Death Eater and an Auror?" Malik asked, tugging on his hair in frustration. "None of us knew about the wizarding world when we lived underground."

Ryou's head, which had been resting on one of his hands, suddenly slipped and he gasped, jolting out of his daydream.

"Wait…Malik, last year when Harry, Ron and Hermione found that magical games book you said someone from the Tomb Keepers must have given the author the information on the Shadow Games. You don't think…?"

Malik had gone pale. "He would have had all the information at his disposal. Oshar you bastard!"

His fist banged against the table, causing everyone's drinks to tremble.

"Hermione," Yami said, his voice all business. "I hate to ask you this over your holiday, but could you do some research for us?"

"Of course," Hermione straightened her back, and pulled out a piece of parchment and a biro from her bag to take notes. "What do you need?"

"Any information on the author of that book," he said. "Specifically any connections with Egypt, but anything of relative importance would be useful."

Hermione nodded. "I already did some background reading last year when we first found the book, to check its authenticity. I'll chase up some of my old references."

"I can help too," Rebecca said.

"You don't know anything about magic," Bakura pointed out scornfully. Rebecca rolled her eyes.

"I'm not talking about helping with the magical side of it," she said, tweaking her glasses. "Oshar might have magical contacts, but he's still a non-magical person, and living as one too. I'll go digging for his records, and find out how long he's been living in Britain and just what he's been up to in that time."

"You can do that?" Joey asked. Rebecca smirked.

"Sure…completely illegally of course, but they won't even know I'm there!"

"Okay, but be careful Rebecca," Duke warned. "I don't want to have to bail you out of custody for hacking."

"Oh don't panic, I'll be fine," Rebecca waved a hand. "I'm a genius, remember?"

It was a small amount of comfort to some people, but Yugi knew she would have no problems hacking in undetected.

"Ugh when did _they_ get here?" Bakura asked suddenly. Yugi, Yami and Ryou followed his gaze and groaned.

"Don't look now everyone," Yami instructed in a low voice. "But the aurors just walked in."

This of course, did not work, and everyone immediately swung their heads around to see. The two aurors, who had taken a table in the corner of the room, froze suddenly, as they were put on the end of such a hostile group of stares. They were both dressed in muggle business suits, obviously trying to blend in, but like many wizards, they had slipped up tragically by wearing t shirts and flip flops with them.

"I said don't look..." Yami muttered, looking rather put out. "Now they know we know."

"Oh as if us having our monsters lead them around in several giant circles for a few hours wasn't clue enough," Bakura scoffed. He was about to suggest to Malik that they went and terrorised the poor men, but he was cut off by a sudden wave of horror from his hikari. Ryou had gone ridged, his eyes fixed on the auror on the left.

/_Hikari?_/

/_That's him Bakura...the auror from the alley_/ Ryou's mental voice had diminished to a whisper. Bakura's head swung over to the table again, and sure enough, he recognised the man on the left. He began growling.

"I will kill him..." Bakura muttered in Egyptian. Yami and Malik looked up in alarm, with Yugi, receiving the translation from his yami not a second later, following suit.

"What?" Malik asked in the same language.

"The auror on the left," Bakura hissed. "That's Adams."

The reactions were not hard to predict. Yami shifted closer to Yugi protectively, while Malik took Ryou's hand, seeing that his best friend was distressed.

"What's going on?" Harry asked, curious as to why the bearers had suddenly become very tense, and why they had lapsed into Egyptian.

"We'll tell you later, when they're not listening," Yugi promised. Sickened that he could not kill them in public, Bakura caught the aurors attention as the rest of the table went back to their meals, and sneered at them, showing pointed canines, and flicking his knife into his hand from where it had been concealed up his sleeve. Both aurors jumped, and the thief gave a sinister laugh.

"Must you do that?" Yami asked, wearily.

"Why yes Pharaoh," Bakura nodded. "Yes I must."

"Crazy freak..." Duke muttered, shaking his head.

"Indeed I am," Bakura nodded, a wide grin spreading across his face. The dice master rolled his eyes.

"You're also an annoying bastard from time to time," Tristan added.

"Tristan," Ryou said reproachfully, though he was not really sure he could argue the point. Serenity too gave Tristan a look, and elbowed him in the side for being rude. Bakura suddenly laughed.

"You're all doing very well at this 'truth telling' thing aren't you?" he mocked. "Yes I am annoying, and I am a bastard, in every sense of the term."

"Well...at least you're being honest for once," Yami muttered.

"Now we know the world is ending," Joey declared dryly.

And just like that, the conversation became light hearted again.

OOO

**A/N: **Ugh...I'd forgotten how crap I was at dealing with romantic issues in stories – this was not an indication of my intention to put loads of relationship stuff in here. I really just wanted to confirm (for myself and the readers) where everyone stands with each other. I have over ten MCs in this story and a large ensemble of supporting cast. Keeping them all straight is nothing short of nightmarish.

My head hurts now...(chants) Week and a half till Nano. Week and a half till Nano...

Isis: Come now, it wasn't that bad at all.

Mei: (curls under a blanket and hides)


	4. Chapter 4: The Missing Card

A/N: Apologies for the delay everybody! Like a lot of people on the east coast of America, my beta was involved in a huge argument with a big woman named Sandy this last week, so whipping my chapter into shape has understandably not been top of her priority list. Hugs and my best wishes to anyone else who was involved with Sandy and came out of the fight worse for the wear.

P.S. If anyone is interested – I'm at 13K for Nanowrimo. Come on!

Mini Disclaimer: There is a line in here that is heavily influenced by YuGiOh the Abridged Series. I own not. All hail LittleKuriboh!

OOO

**Chapter 4: The Missing Card**

"Interesting hideout you have here," the Dark One muttered, running a finger along a dusty mantelpiece. Lord Voldemort scowled. His visitor had an attitude that was not meshing well with his own – so casual about everything, as though he had not just spent...who knew how long, trapped in the Shadow Realm, stuck in his own penalty game, tortured to insanity.

Having said that though, the question of this creature's sanity was obvious to Voldemort. Though he appeared calm, collected, and yet secretly calculating most of the time, Voldemort knew enough about the human mind (if indeed he was human) to know that this creature's was unhinged – like a door that did not have a lock or a solid place to close properly, it could swing between in and out without hindrance...occasionally moving swiftly enough to do some serious damage to an unwitting person trying to mess around with it.

Yes he would have to treat this one carefully. He could be a powerful ally, or a powerful nuisance, if given the proper incentive.

Nagini seemed to share his anxiety. It had not taken his beloved snake too long to find him. How she had done so was a minor mystery, but Voldemort did not dwell on it, for she was very attached to her master, and very intelligent for a snake. It was perhaps this intelligence that made Nagini very anxious of the newcomer, for he was eyeing her up in the manner of a lion happening across a very fat gazelle. In fact Voldemort was certain that if he let Nagini out of his sight for longer than a second, he would find his snake on a plate with a fork in her belly.

"A temporary refuge," he commented mildly, stroking his pet to soothe her restless temperament. "Once my followers are made aware of my presence, we shall have a more suitable location promptly." He was not going to divulge the full history of the Riddle house, for that would involve a lot of unnecessary information that he did not want to trust this creature with. The figure snorted.

"Better be quick. I have been in tombs less dusty than this..."

The phrasing struck Voldemort as strange, but he shook it off, instead producing his wand and revealing his forearm. There was no Dark Mark like the rest of his Death Eaters – he would never lower himself to marking his skin in kind to his servants. However, there was a link through his body that connected him with his Death Eaters. It was this that allowed him to feel when they called him, by pressing their wands to their own marks. The connection worked in reverse too, and it was this he used now to call his Death Eaters to his side.

The figure leaned casually by the mantelpiece, as with a swishing of cloaks, the Death Eaters emerged, falling one after the other to kiss the robes of their missing-in-action master.

"Welcome back my Death Eaters," Voldemort greeted. He moved straight into business, not wanting to embellish on where he had been for these last couple of months. "By your prompt response, I assume you have not been idle since June, am I correct?"

There was an immediate report on the attacks at St Mungos and Kings Cross, to which the Dark Lord nodded in a vaguely approving manner throughout. The Dark One just continued to lean against the wall, looking completely relaxed, and giving a frightening grin to anyone who dared give him curious or suspicious looks.

"I have noticed," Voldemort stated, as soon as the briefing was done. "That we are missing a distinct number of our members. Would anyone care to offer an explanation?"

Sure enough, the circle of Death Eaters, which was usually full, had more than half of its gaps empty. There were a few uneasy looks, before Wormtail stepped forwards.

"Master..." he began nervously. "Lucius Malfoy is...soulless."

Despite being connected to the magic of the Orichalcos, the Penalty Game had blocked his connections with the outside world, and so this was news to the Dark Lord, who hissed.

"The bearers?" he asked, and in the corner, the Dark One shifted his stance so that he could hear properly.

"No my Lord," Wormtail corrected. "It was Potter and his defence gang. They held our Death Eaters off at the castle. Most of them were captured, except for myself. The Seal was broken from the outside during the battle, and Lucius's soul somehow could not take the strain."

"I see..." Voldemort muttered. He could only guess what Lucius looked like now. "And Draco? Why has he not taken up his father's place?"

At the mention of the boy's name, the Death Eaters all hissed.

"Traitor..." one of the masked men muttered.

"The boy has vanished," Wormtail reported. "He left his family home a few weeks ago and we have been unable to find him. It would seem he has no desire to become one of us. According to Severus, the boy's recent friendship with Ishtar might have something to do with his change of heart."

Abruptly, a chuckle came from the figure in the corner, causing all the Death Eaters to look around and give varying looks of scorn.

"Is there something you wish to add to this briefing?" Voldemort sneered. The Dark One shook his head.

"Nothing at all."

Voldemort repressed the urge to roll his eyes. He was going to have to teach his guest proper behaviour.

"I assume that everyone in the team dispatched to Hogwarts is in Azkaban, along with the few who lost their souls throughout the course of the last year," the Dark Lord mused, thinking of people such as Bellatrix Lestrange. "However that does not account for a few people. Lestrange and Rookwood for instance."

"Master, if I may," one of the younger Death Eaters, whose last name was Albury, began to speak. "Rudolophus was killed during one of our attacks on St Mungos. He stayed behind rather than escape when the Ministry showed up, and he was struck down by three aurors."

Voldemort sniffed. "The fool lost his will to live a long time ago. What of Rookwood?"

"He is missing presumed dead my lord," Albury continued. "Our contact in the Auror Headquarters has informed me that they were cornered in an alley just a few nights past, while they were meeting with Rookwood's Egyptian contact."

Voldemort looked interested now. "Cornered by the Ministry?"

"No my Lord," Albury shook his head. "They found Ryou Bakura eavesdropping, and when they attempted to bring him here, the Thief King appeared."

Now the Dark One's attention was aroused properly again, and he stood up to move closer. Voldemort however was frowning at the man's choice of words.

"Both of them? The Thief King is invisible to the normal eye except when he takes over the body of his host."

Albury swallowed. "It would seem that is not the case any longer...somehow the spirits can manifest solid forms."

The Dark Lord looked furious now – he felt cheated. He, the most powerful wizard in the world, had waited years for the chance of a new body, and now the spirits gained their own without even trying. "How?!" he demanded.

"We are not sure," Albury admitted. "It seems to have been a recent thing...maybe connected with the battle at Hogwarts?"

"_Ah...that explains a few things,"_ the Dark One thought. "_Prolonged exposure to this magic as well as their own has the possibility to solidify soul into a visible form...Oh those fools have no idea just what this blessing of theirs has unleashed again though..._"

The saying "do not shoot the messenger" had never been one Voldemort had stood by, and in his anger, he turned his wand on Albury. The man writhed and shrieked on the floor in pain, as the Death Eaters watched on emotionlessly. The Dark One raised an eyebrow. It was an effective method of pain, it seemed, but it did not appeal to him – there was no blood and no beauty in physical torture without the psychological horror too.

"Our foe is a dangerous one, especially when granted with new power!" the Dark Lord eventually shouted, once he was finished torturing his loyal servant. He calmed down enough to return to a normal speaking level. "Who do we have monitoring them?"

Albury was now in no condition to answer, so Wormtail stepped forwards again.

"Our contact auror Adams has been assigned to their watch, by the Ministry," the rat animagus explained. "It seems all of the bearers are in London now for some kind of tournament – we have been preparing a counter-strike involving one of the participants..."

At this, Voldemort finally looked more pleased. "A duel monsters tournament, no doubt. But this is perfect, to have them at my mercy again so soon..."

The Dark One rolled his eyes.

"_You're a fool,"_ he thought, as Voldemort began demanding more details about the tournament, the plan to disrupt it, and who would gather more information now that their ranks had been shrunk so dramatically. "_To think you can stand against the bearers with wizarding magic...even the Orichalcos has its limitations when faced with the combined powers of the Shadows..."_

He looked at his own hand and scowled.

"_Powers that I no longer have full control of...however, I do know of means to gain that control once more...I just need a little more assistance from my pawn..._"

The pawn in question had a focused and determined look on his face – the concentration of a man with a plan.

"So the imposter is in place...and the real one is currently-?"

"Held captive in the Malfoy Manor, my Lord – the Ministry have been combing it for any clues that Lucius may have left behind," Wormtail was reporting. "But we have been successful in concealing our prisoner so far until we can find a more suitable location."

Voldemort nodded. "Good. I shall speak to our imposter myself with instructions. We should not waste time trying to recruit the competitors of their own free will – they all seem to have innate stubbornness – better to use the Imperius curse. As muggles, they will have no resistance."

With the last of the details wrapped up, the Death Eaters began to disperse (finally), and the Dark One approached Voldemort.

"Your servants have some use after all..." he commented. Voldemort sneered.

"More use than you at this present moment it would seem."

Seeing where he was going with this, the Dark One cackled.

"You need me. Anyone can infiltrate a tournament and brainwash the competitors. But you need what I know of the Shadows."

"Then tell me what I want to know," Voldemort hissed. "Everything you know about the Shadow Realm!"

"You have no patience," the other snorted. "I will tell you. But you have to do two things for me first."

Voldemort did not like this, but he listened regardless.

"First of all," the Dark One said. "What little, frankly pitiful, information you have of the Shadow Realm must have come from somewhere, and I am betting I know where. You will confirm this for me."

That was not as bad as what the Dark Lord had feared, however he sensed there was more.

"Secondly," the Dark One continued. "I know you have some sort of vendetta against the bearers. However I know one thing for certain." His gaze became firm. "That Penalty Game of yours was far too weak to have been the work of one wielding a Millennium Item. So I ask, who placed you there in the first place?"

Voldemort scowled at the memory. "The bearers defeated my puppets in a game of duel monsters, however you are correct, they did not place me in the Penalty Game. That was the work of three monster spirits."

The Dark One raised his eyebrows. "Go on."

"I only learned their identities by a chance of Occlumency," Voldemort explained. "Mind reading," he added, when his acquaintance looked confused. "Their names were Maha Vailo, Faith Bird and Change of Heart."

The Dark One's eyes widened considerably. "And you fought them in the chamber at Kul Elna...then those three were...oh this is perfect!"

He allowed himself a cackle of joy.

"Explain yourself," Voldemort demanded in a dark voice. The Dark One calmed down.

"Throughout the Shadow Realm, there is a tale that is whispered between the dark forces that inhabit that place. Occasionally you hear of it in a Penalty Game...if you keep your mind long enough. It is the tale of the Item's creation. It is also known to select members of the Tomb Keepers Clan."

Now Voldemort was genuinely interested, and he decided to answer the Dark One's original question.

"My Egyptian contact is a former member of the Tomb Keepers," he admitted. At this the Dark One nodded. It has been his logical conclusion, though it did not please him.

"That spirit, Faith Bird, is the Ka – that would be a portion of a human's personality taken physical form to you – " he explained the Egyptian terminology. "Of the ninety ninth human sacrifice that it took to create the Millennium Items."

This just made it all the more interesting to the Dark Lord. Forbidden magic was something he craved to understand more of after all.

"That sacrifice also happens to have been the sister of a certain Thief King," the Dark One continued, and Voldemort suddenly went ridged.

"The Thief King had a sister?!" he demanded.

"Three actually," the correction was made. "However the one most dear to him – the one who's Ka is Faith Bird – still waits for him in the Dominion of Lost Souls."

Voldemort went paler than usual. "That place..." he hissed. He would never forget that place.

"You have heard of it I see," the Dark One's voice registered amusement now.

"I have been to that place," Voldemort snarled. "I know what that place is! The place you step in after death! A place I swore I would never have to tread!"

The Dark One was thinking to himself. This was exactly the kind of information he had wanted to hear. If it had been the Matriarch of the Dominion of Lost Souls who had sent this man to his Penalty Game, then it would be all the more easy to persuade him to do what he wanted – anything if there was a promise of exacting revenge on that little girl-spirit.

"The monster Maha Vailo, similarly," he continued. "Is the Ka of the sister of the Thief King's hikari. The current bearer of the Millennium Ring."

Voldemort paced, seething. "Then it shall be a double blow to them when I destroy their brothers inside and out!"

"I have a better idea," the Dark One interjected smoothly. "Why torment the ones who are already dead, when you can torment the ones living?"

The pacing stopped, and he could see he had Voldemort's undivided attention now.

"The thing the Thief King and his hikari would hate for most in the world, would be for their beloved siblings to be harmed," the Dark One explained. "The thing about souls in that dominion, is that they are weak. They remain there attached by one single desire – the desire to wait for a loved ones passing. That link can be easily snapped...with a strong enough magic."

"Strong like the Orichalcos?" Voldemort seemed to guess what he was hinting at.

"Indeed," the Dark One nodded. "If the magic were strong enough, it could effectively be used to rip the waiting souls out of the dominion entirely."

"And what would we do with them then?" Voldemort demanded. "Souls that are already dead are of no use to me."

"No, but they are useful to me," the Dark One explained. "For you see, Shadow Magic – and the Shadow Realm in particular – feeds best off human souls..."

There was an inhuman glint in the man's eyes now.

"...alive or dead."

OOO

"Ryou," Bakura knocked hard on the door of the bathroom. He could hear the noise of the shower beating against the bathtub, but he could not hear his hikari moving about. There was silence from the mind link too and he did not like it. He was not blind to the amount of guilt Ryou was feeling over Rookwood's death, but he had thought between him and Malik they had helped him over the worst.

Apparently not.

Getting impatient, Bakura took a two pence piece from his pocket and inserted it into the slot on the bolt of the door lock. A quick twist later and the bolt slid back, allowing him entrance. Steam billowed out to greet him; clogging his lungs and making him choke. The shower was still running, and the mist on the mirror had turned everything into a foggy dream of itself.

It took a while for Bakura to locate his hikari, sitting in the bath with the water from the shower beating down on him. Bakura pulled back the curtain, ignoring the spray that assaulted him. He expected his hikari to jump around and try and cover himself in embarrassment, but there was no movement. Ryou was still conscious, but he did not respond at all, nor did he react when Bakura switched the water off and wrapped a towel around his soaking body. The yami did not miss Ryou's hands, which were moving in a repetitive motion, over and under each other and then around again – a motion that Bakura recognised well.

"Ryou," he gave his hikari a shake. When this achieved naught, Bakura tried the mindlink again.

Immediately his vision was assaulted by images. Scenes of Ryou's past, and his own familiar memories, along with ones that could only belong to his friends, mixed and intermingled like a badly written story. Bakura's stomach did a small back flip, as he recognised the type of magic and the not-there sensation from his hikari.

Ryou was having a vision.

But this was much, much stronger than any he had ever had before. Before, he had at least retained some measure of movement and coherency. Now there was nothing. The power was so overwhelming that Ryou was lost in it. And the slow repetitive motion of his hands was his only means of communicating his need. He needed a deck – to tell the vision and get it out of his head.

Quickly as he could, Bakura scooped his hikari up and sprinted into the bedroom, tucking another towel around him as he went. He deposited him onto the bed, before picking up Ryou's mobile and their shared duelling deck.

"Malik, get in here quick. I need help," the thief demanded as soon as the Tomb Keeper had picked up the phone. He hung up immediately, before placing the cards carefully in Ryou's hands. They immediately followed through with their smooth practised motion, mixing the cards gracefully and fluidly.

"Bakura?" Malik was banging on the door. Bakura yanked him inside before he could protest.

"Ryou?" Malik's eyes immediately fell on his friend, who had stopped shuffling and started dealing. Malik eyed the thief. "Bakura, what the hell is going on?"

"Ryou is having a vision," Bakura explained. "Only its much stronger than usual. I've never seen him react like this. I need another witness to make sure I don't miss anything."

Malik's eyebrows arched. "And he's wearing a total of two hotel towels and the Ring because...?"

Bakura rolled his eyes. "Your head may live in the gutter where Ryou's concerned, but mine does not, Ishtar. He was in the shower when it started."

Malik pouted, but his fantasies were put on hiatus as Ryou flipped the first card. He did it without even looking at the spread, which was his usual six-pointed star that he normally did for general readings. He just stared at the wall opposite him with the same faraway look in his eyes, his hands moving mechanically on their own.

"Take this down," Bakura ordered, throwing a pad of hotel paper and a pen at the Egyptian. "It might be important."

"Can't you read the cards?" Malik suggested.

"The cards only show to the person reading them. Different cards mean different things for different people," Bakura explained quickly. "Only Ryou will know what this means."

The second card was flipped.

"What is going on in here?" Bakura cursed mentally as he recognised the voice of his hikari's father. They had been so focused on Ryou's actions that they had not heard the man unlocking the door. Adrian's gaze moved from Malik (whom he looked at suspiciously), to Bakura (confusion), and then to Ryou (alarm).

"Ryou?!" he started forwards, immediately realising that something was very wrong. Malik got up and halted him in his tracks.

"Don't touch him," he ordered. Adrian, it seemed, was not inclined to listen however.

"What is wrong with my son?" he demanded. "What have you done to him?!"

Bakura bristled at the accusation. "We did nothing. Ryou is having a vision. There is nothing to do but wait for it to end."

Adrian struggled to comprehend what the man was talking about. "He looks like he's having a seizure. We should call for..."

"No!" both boys cried in unison. The white haired one's glare intensified.

"No help is needed," he muttered.

"What do you know?" the alarmed father demanded. "You're no doctor. Who are you anyway?"

He was disturbed, not only by the condition of his only living child, but by how closely the other white haired male, whom he had never before, seemed to be with him. He held Ryou securely, supporting the boy, while allowing him to continue with – whatever it was he was doing. They looked relatively similar, though Ryou's hair was tamer, his skin paler, and his eyes rounder and more innocent. The stranger had three scars running down his cheek, a stronger body structure, and a noticeable "don't-fuck-with-me" attitude. Adrian did not like it. What prompted Ryou to meet people like this?

The white haired stranger gave him a disdainful look. "There is no doctor that can cure this – it's certainly not a disease. And as for who I am, that is no one's concern but mine and my hikari's."

Adrian looked confused and frustrated that he was getting no straight answers. However Ryou had just finished flipping over the last of the cards, and Malik was doing his part, scrawling the cards down on the paper in messy handwriting. Ryou's eyes glazed over and the mind link went quiet as he slumped back into the arms of his yami. Slowly his eyes flicked open again.

"B-bakura?"

"Are you alright hikari?" the yami asked, in a low voice, not wanting to use the mindlink and overwhelm him – he sounded exhausted.

"Yeah...what happened to me?"

"That's what I'd like to know," Adrian added firmly. "First off, I'd like to know who this is."

He gestured impatiently at Bakura, who glared right back. Ryou's bewildered expression turned to one of alarm – this was not how he had planned on having his father and Bakura meet – if indeed ever.

"This isn't the time," Malik interrupted swiftly. "Ry, you had some kind of vision. Bakura got you out of the shower and gave you your deck to do the reading."

"I..." Ryou rubbed his head, and for the first time, looked down at the cards, his eyes scanning over them He was too worked up to get a decent feel of the cards, but something was immediately obvious. His face furrowed into a more confused looking frown.

"The reading is incomplete," he muttered.

"What?" Malik asked. Bakura leaned over and cursed. His hikari was right. The seventh card, representing the final judgement, had not been set.

"There's no seventh card," the yami muttered. "You know this spread like the back of your hand. How could you forget?"

"I don't know..." Ryou whispered, shaking his head.

"What does the reading say?" Malik demanded, eagerly. "Something about the tournament?"

"I don't know."

"Ryou," Adrian butted in. "Just what is going on here?"

"I DON'T KNOW!"

Frightened sobs worked their way out of his chest, and Ryou grabbed the nearest pillow and buried his face into it, upsetting the spread of cards and the neatly stacked remainder of the deck. Bakura growled.

"Out!" he ordered the other two. Malik wisely began to move, but Adrian stood his ground.

"Not until someone tells me what is going on," he said firmly. Bakura's eyes went feral.

"I loathe having to repeat myself," he snarled. "I said 'out'! That means now!"

"He is my son!" Adrian argued fiercely.

"He's my hikari!" Bakura barked, getting to his feet, placing himself between the bed and Ryou's father. "I have more right to him than any parent –" he sneered suddenly. "If you can even be called that!"

"Why you -"

"Bakura enough!" Ryou's voice suddenly emerged from the pillow. "Dad just leave it! You and Malik just go, please!"

"Sure thing Ry," Malik said soothingly, before taking Adrian's arm and pulling him boldly from the room.

"Hey Malik," Yugi emerged from his own room on the opposite side of the corridor, just as Malik firmly closed the door behind them. There would be no getting back in until both yami and hikari had talked, as Adrian had left his key inside the room.

Yugi was already dressed for their evening out, only missing a few of his belts, buckles and his boots. Behind him, Tea stood wrapped in a hotel bathrobe, having obviously just got out of the shower. "We heard yelling," the brunette added as an explanation.

"Ryou had a vision," Malik said briefly. "But he says it's incomplete."

"An incomplete vision," Tea asked. "That does not sound good."

"I've had enough!" Adrian finally burst out. "Who was that guy in there, and what is wrong with my son?!"

Malik and Yugi exchanged looks. This wasn't going to be easy to explain...

OOO

"Feeling better?" Bakura asked, as Ryou blew his nose. The now red-eyed hikari nodded slowly. He had needed to expel a lot of emotion left over from the vision, and crying was the most effective way to do that.

"I don't know how to feel..." he muttered. "I don't even know what happened..."

"For some reason, your gift of sight has increased...really dramatically," Bakura summarised. Ryou looked alarmed.

"My sight? I always thought it reached its peak when I met you."

"Apparently not," Bakura said. "Truthfully hikari, I think you surpass me now, if what I just saw is anything to go by."

Ryou's awe and fear came out in a few stray tears. He sniffed and wiped them away.

"I'm sorry I'm being so wimpy," he muttered bitterly.

"Ryou I grew up in a household with four other women," Bakura reminded him. He gave a rueful snort. "You should have seen the hysterics my mother could work herself into when she was pregnant and hormonal." He handed Ryou another tissue. "Tears are nothing to be ashamed of. Nor are emotions."

That, Ryou realised, was a definite turn around from a few years ago, when Bakura would have berated him for being such a mopey little sissy.

/_Yeah well there's no denying I was a first class shit back then, is there?_/ the yami asked, tentatively re-establishing the mindlink. Ryou blushed.

"Sorry...you weren't supposed to hear that..."

"It's still the truth," Bakura nodded. "Gods, what was wrong with me back then? I was so demented it's a miracle you managed to balance me at all..."

Ryou was frowning as he remembered something Akila had said. "I think there was something else...I think you remembering your humanity was an influence too."

Bakura snorted again. "Ryou I was a thief. I had happiness in the form of my sister and a few other people I could name, but other than that, most of my existence was dark. There was nothing there to make me a better person."

"There might have been," Ryou objected. "If the people meant enough to you..."

He caught a glimpse of several disjointed images from his yami's end of the link – Akila – a small feminine looking boy dressed in rags – a huge man with a wide smile – a redhaired girl with mischievous eyes – a scrawny looking man with a scar on his neck – before the link was abruptly slammed shut.

"...I suppose they did," Bakura muttered, before snapping out of his thoughts. "But we're not discussing me here. I'm more worried about you and this vision of yours. Do you remember anything?"

Ryou shook his head. "I don't remember...nothing makes sense. I shouldn't have forgotten that last card, especially if you're right and my powers have increased. Now the reading does not make sense..."

Bakura looked at the list that Malik had left. He could not make head or tail of it.

"Maybe the Final Judgement has not been decided yet," he mused.

"Maybe..." Ryou whispered, and for some unknown reason, he suddenly felt a gut-wrenching surge of dread. An undecided judgement was a dangerous force.

OOO

"He's gone?" Ryou asked, dismayed. Yugi and Malik nodded. They had returned to the King of Games' room in order to give Ryou's father his room key, only to find him gone, and their friends looking exasperated.

"We're sorry Ryou," Yami apologised gravely. "We could see no other option but the truth. However he was not willing to believe us..."

"Called us lunatics," Malik chimed in helpfully. "Said we were corrupting you. Very charming really."

"So we figured the only thing we could do was show him," Yugi continued, while Yami shot Malik a look that indicated that he was not helping. "So Yami split from me, and then we showed him how we merge from time to time...and he didn't say anything. He just got up and left once we were done explaining. I think he's struggling to get his head around it."

"And the fact that it's his fault really!" Malik chirruped. "Well it's true!" he added, seeing the look he got from Ryou. "If he hadn't given Ryou the Ring, Ryou would never have released Bakura, and he would have stayed in England and never met us at all – which would have sucked. And we would never have had to put up with Bakura."

"...touching as your declarations of care for me are Malik," Bakura interjected dryly. "This is not how we were planning on allowing him to be made aware of my presence."

"No, we were not planning on it at all," Ryou pointed out. "It was so much simpler to have him believe I was crazy or something."

"Well you must be crazy to put up with him," Malik pointed out, jabbing a finger at Bakura.

"Feeling the love," the thief muttered.

"Well we aren't going to be able to find him at this time," Yugi pointed out. "London is going to be busy, and it's a big city."

"You're right Aibou," Yami nodded. "I say we just let him cool off. He'll come back."

"...if you're sure," Ryou did not sound convinced.

"Let's just go have a good night out," Yugi continued. "It'll take our minds off of everything."

"For once, I agree with you, Shrimp," Bakura nodded, ignoring Yami's glare at the nickname. Yugi allowed a frown to cross his face briefly, before shrugging. He knew that insults were as close to a compliment as you ever got from Bakura.

"Word in the hotel is that most of the tournament duellists are going to be hanging around Soho this evening," Tea informed them. "Serenity went ahead and started researching restaurants in that area, and she's booked us a table. She figured since there were so many of us, and there will be so many duellists around it would get busy quickly."

"Good idea," Ryou nodded, knowing just how busy Soho restaurants could get. "What's the venue?"

"And does it serve steak for our carnivorous annoyance here?" Malik asked, glancing at the thief, who flicked his knife into view.

"Malik you have five seconds to run before I break your fingers."

OOO

Soho was well known for its diverse amount of eating establishments, and the atmosphere was infectious with so many people from different cultures flying in for the tournament. The lights hit the eye from all the different types of cuisine offered to the people on the streets, accompanied by the occasional mouth-watering scents of different foods as you passed each establishment. The streets were crowded, and across the street, the occasional groups of people shouted to each other in recognition.

It was duellist central that night. The large group of champions and friends had been stopped several times by different people on their way to their dinner that night, and greetings, catch ups and banter had flown thick and fast. A couple of times the duellists had been stopped by fans, demanding autographs, and the mood was so good that none of them could bear to turn them away.

The restaurant that Serenity had booked them into was a small but cheerful place named "Cent Dix Sept". The ceiling was high and offered the illusion that there was more room than there actually was. The walls were panelled in dark blue and cream and the floor was a dark wood to offset the colour. The lights were low offering a more relaxed atmosphere than outside. There was space and enough tables for about thirty covers, and the staff smiled politely at them as the group entered, despite the fact that they were handling a very busy night.

There were no other duellists in the restaurant, however there were several dense clusters of fans, who approached as soon as the group had sat down. By the time the autographs had been signed, and the questions answered, ("who are you facing in the first rounds?" "Are you using the God Cards, Yugi?" "Are you actually going to _beat_ Kaiba this time Joey?") their orders had been placed and conversation was flowing once more. Serenity had been thoughtful enough to book the table for a party of twelve, meaning that Yami and Bakura were joining them, an act which caused several lines of questioning to appear.

"Can you guys even eat?" Duke asked curiously. "I mean you're dead, right?"

Yami, who had been checking the layout of the building and the location of their stalking aurors, looked up at the question.

"We are dead," he confirmed. "It isn't necessary for Bakura and I to eat, however we can still do it just for the pleasure of it."

"But presumably you don't get the same kind of energy out of it?" Rebecca queried, leaning around Yugi to address the Pharaoh. She had relaxed her behaviour a little around him now, and was quick to question a lot about their forms. Yami suspected some of her original awkwardness had been backlash from when she had hated him for giving Yugi's soul to the Orichalcos.

"I do not think so," Yami shook his head. "However other effects linger, such as spicy food still burns our throats, or salt makes us thirsty..."

"Or alcohol makes you and your hikari drunk," Ryou finished, giving Bakura a glare. The thief paused in the action of raising a beer bottle to his lips.

"How was I supposed to know that you would feel the effects?" he demanded. "I barely drank a thing too! Not enough to get you wasted."

Ryou rolled his eyes. "Not all of us grew up in a country where the staple diet from the moment you were weaned was bread and beer," he reminded, causing several people to snicker. Bakura gave a wicked smirk.

"Don't look at me that way hikari," he admonished. "I thought you looked hilarious stumbling around the house singing '_Girls just wanna have fun_'."

Malik howled with laughter and almost fell off his seat. Ryou's face turned pink and he hid it in his hands. Joey, Tristan and Duke snickered and Yami shook his head, a grin appearing in spite of himself. Yugi took pity on his friend and spoke up.

"Don't worry Ryou. No one informed me of that fact either," he gave Yami a look. "Nor was I told that Egyptians can hold their alcohol very well."

"What did you do then Yugi?" Mai asked, curiosity alight in her eyes. Next to her, Joey started grinning as he remembered.

"Well...we were at Kaibaland at the time," he began, as Yugi braced himself for the onslaught of embarrassment. "It took us a while to realise why Yugi was stumbling around like that, and when we did he started talking to one of Kaiba's Blue Eyes statues. Was funny as hell!"

Almost everyone laughed at this, and Yugi looked suitably mortified. Ryou owed him big time for this. Yami gave him an apologetic smile.

"What was he saying to it?" Rebecca asked, a wide grin on her face. Tristan answered in an overly dramatised slur.

"Seto cheats! He summons three of you in one turn! That isn't fair! He gets to screw the rules!"

"Thank you Tristan, I think you've embarrassed Yugi enough now," Yami informed him, taking Yugi's arm gently, as his hikari's train of thought turned to whether his pint of coke was big enough to drown himself in.

"I've had worse," Malik interjected, once had had controlled his laughter. "I got back one morning completely out of it. Ishizu kicked my ass the next morning and made me go to work hungover. I think I asked one of my colleagues at one point to turn the air conditioning off because it sounded like a drill going through my skull. He looked at me like I was totally crazy."

"You _are _totally crazy," Tristan reminded him. Malik gave a toothy grin.

"And don't you forget it!"

"I think Serenity tops that," Joey snickered suddenly, ignoring the 'shut-up-right-now' looks from his sister. "When she was fifteen months old she got hold of a bottle of Ma's perfume and drank the lot. Drunk as a skunk the whole day!"

"Joey! You promised you would never bring that up in company!" Serenity wailed, as most of their table started laughing again. Mai gave the young girl a one armed hug, whilst trying to stop her own snickers.

"So is that the key to beating Yugi this year?" Duke asked, turning back to the King of Games. "Get him drunk before the match, and he'll spend the whole duel talking to the holograms."

"Great, now all I need to do is find a way to push Rich Boy down the staircase at the hotel," Joey plotted aloud. "And the championship is mine!"

Serenity gave him a reprimanding look for even joking about such a thing, and Mai snorted.

"Please Joey, we all know who's going to walk away with that championship, and she's sitting to your right."

The banter had dissolved once more into conversation by the time the food had arrived, and smaller chats began to form down the table. Yugi, Malik, Ryou and Bakura were engrossed in discussing what they had seen at the Tower of London that day, while on the other end of the table, conversation had moved to the expos that were being held after each day of duelling.

Yami alone was not taking part in any of the discussions, instead he was keeping his eye fixed on the aurors huddled in the corner. He could tell that one of them was definitely Adams, the auror who Ryou had encountered the other night. He had already conceived the deepest dislike for that man, and it was taking all his restraint not to charge over there and shove him straight into a Penalty Game...heck he wouldn't even need to charge. He could do it from his seat!

A hand found his and gave it a squeeze, and the Pharaoh turned to see Tea giving him a concerned look.

"Are you okay?" she asked quietly, so as not to draw attention. Yami sighed.

"I'm fine thank you Tea..."

The dancer in training arched an eyebrow.

"I might not have a mindlink with you, but even I can tell that's a lie," she informed him.

Yami looked down at his cleared plate, the dark look in his eyes still there, seething away like a pool of lava.

"It is taking every bit of restraint I have not to go over and force Adams to tell me exactly why he is involved with Death Eaters," he admitted quietly. He did not want to add that he wanted that man to pay for the part he had played in Rookwood's demise and Ryou's misery. Tea glanced over his shoulder at the two aurors, and Yami knew she was scowling at them too.

"I know," she nodded. "So what's stopping you? I mean, I'm not saying it's a good idea, but it's not as if any of us could prevent you from doing that."

Yami glanced off to one side, to where his aibou sat, looking a little green as Bakura and Malik enthused about whichever torture method they were discussing now. He did not really know how to explain that it was Yugi's mere presence that stopped him from going totally psychotic now. No one could really understand just how soothing the other's presence was to him, or how grounding. Tea however, followed his gaze and her own eyes suddenly held an understanding expression.

"Oh I get it. Yugi is stopping you."

Yami took a deep breath. "Not with words or by the mindlink as you may believe..."

"But by just being here," Tea finished, surprising the ancient Pharaoh. "If Yugi wasn't here..." she had to stop for a minute, for it was obvious that the thought pained her terribly. "...if he weren't here, you wouldn't have any reason to do anything. You need Yugi to focus you, and to let you know what is right."

Yami was silent for a long time. Tea was no longer looking at him, instead she had been speaking to her half empty glass. The Pharaoh made completely sure that Yugi was engrossed in the conversation across the table, before muffling the link and addressing Tea quietly. The last thing he wanted was Yugi overhearing this conversation.

"You love him," he stated. Tea's gaze shot back to the Pharaoh, dashes of pink appearing in her cheeks. She could not lie to him, especially not over something so big, but the answer was huge, and so damn complex that it made her head spin.

"I do," she nodded slowly. The Pharaoh allowed a small smile to cross his face, before returning it to the serious expression it had been for most of the conversation.

"You should tell him, Tea."

Tea's cheeks went even pinker.

"I can't," she whispered. "What if he doesn't feel the same way? I don't want to ruin our friendship. He's too important to me Yami."

"I know," the Pharaoh nodded, picking up the glass of water next to his empty wine glass. "But he deserves to know. And you know he does...especially as he believes he has no chance with me in the picture."

It was the hardest thing he had ever had to say. Addressing the issue would either solve it or risk their friendship crumbling apart. Now Tea's face did a one-eighty, going from flaming red to ghostly pale.

"...how long have you known?" she asked.

"Too long," he admitted. "Yugi knows you love him as a friend Tea, but he doesn't know that it is stronger than that."

"Much stronger," the girl moaned. "I'm a terrible friend for keeping something so important from him, aren't I?"

"No," Yami said immediately. "You're an amazing friend Tea, and you should never think otherwise...but that's all we could ever be."

"Oh no, that's not the problem," Tea shook her head. "I knew that...nothing could ever happen between us in _that _way."

Her cheeks had gone back to an embarrassed shade of red, and now it was Yami's turn to look surprised. As far as he was aware, Tea still felt strongly for him.

"I'll always feel that way about you," Tea admitted. "But I realised ages ago that you don't need me."

"That's not true," the Pharaoh objected, but Tea cut in.

"I know you need me as a friend, but nothing stronger than that," she explained, before taking a deep breath. "Do you remember when you duelled Weevil on top of that train?"

Yami frowned, failing to see how this related to the current topic, but he nodded none the less.

"I sat there and watched you beat him," Tea recalled. "And then I felt so sick when I realised you weren't going to stop attacking, even when you had already won. I wasn't scared of you," she added quickly, as she saw the horrified look cross his face. "I was frightened that you would hate yourself later, and then we would never snap you out of it."

The memory was fresh and sharp, and Yami shuddered. He remembered the utter anger he had felt towards his opponent, and the level of emotion that had made him cruelly attack over and over again. Indeed it was a memory he was never going to forget.

"You didn't stop because you didn't have Yugi to tell you what was right," Tea continued. "And you didn't have Yugi to make you feel better when everything was going totally wrong for all of us. If you had really harmed Weevil on the train, none of us would have been able to stop you from getting depressed."

She looked him in the eye. "I realised on that train that I would never be able to fill that role. You'd never need me like that. The only person you've ever really needed in this life is Yugi."

Yami sat in silence. He had never known that the duel against Weevil had affected her so much. He was horrified at the memory of that duel, realising for the first time what Tea's view of it must have been like, and really grateful that she had told him now. He was surprised at how much insight she had in regards to his relationship with his other half, and equally saddened to realise what she must have been going through, wrestling with the knowledge that nothing could ever come of how she felt for him. More than anything however, he realised she was right. Yugi was the centre of his world. However much he loved his friends, his love for his aibou was infinitely more complex and necessary for his survival.

"You know Tea," he began. "You're the only one who has ever really understood just what kind of bond Yugi and I have...I mean, everyone knows we are close, but I've never heard someone grasp just how much I need him."

Tea smiled slightly. "As he needs you, Pharaoh. You're the only ones who can truly understand each other."

"Not true," Yami said, finally, giving her a smile. "For myself maybe, but there is one other person who understand Yugi, and who is truly worthy of my aibou's heart. And I'm staring at her."

Now the blush was back, and there was a slight hint of tears in her eyes.

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it," Yami smiled, before going back to his drink. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Tea's face regain its normal shade, and her smile return, somehow looking much happier than it had before. Yami relaxed. If his purpose here was to make Yugi and his friends happy, then he would like to think that he had just succeeded.

OOO

The streets were dying down as the group headed back to the hotel, full of food and high spirits. Yami and Bakura were keeping a cautious eye on the aurors trailing unsubtly behind the (they had somehow materialised black cloaks out of nowhere in an attempt to hide themselves). Neither spirit was taking a chance that they might be ambushed on their way back, and were it not for the very real danger they represented, the serious expressions on their faces would probably have been funny.

Rebecca and Serenity were discussing the plotlines in their favourite books at the front of the group. Behind them, Duke, Tristan and Yugi were reminiscing about when Yugi had beaten Duke at Dungeon Dice Monsters, and comparing the game play to Duel Monsters. Tea had got into a heated argument about dancing with Malik, while Ryou just listened with an amused expression, taking comfort from the normalcy of the situation.

Joey and Mai lingered at the back, talking about nothing in particular, with the occasional string of banter being flung back and forth between them, accompanied by teasing smiles.

"You know I'm so tempted to turn around and give those auror guys what's coming to them," Joey muttered. "That snake Adams in particular."

Mai smiled. "You forget Joey – they have magic and you don't, as far as I'm aware."

Joey snorted. "If there's one thing I've learned from hanging around with Yugi, it's that there is always a way to defend yourself. And besides, I've got Hermos watching my back now."

Mai remembered the part Joey's legendary dragon had played in saving her a few months ago. She had been so worried throughout his whole match with Hirutani that he would lose his soul, and she had never been so glad to hear Joey announce that card's presence.

"Mai?...hey Mai?"

Snapping out of her memory, Mai turned back to Joey, remembering something she had been meaning to ask since she had met up with her friends again.

"Joey, how much does Serenity know?"

Joey sensed there was an underlying meaning to this question, and he didn't like the worry that came with it. "About what?"

"About the Orichalcos last time," Mai clarified, and Joey looked across the moving group at his sister, who was giggling at something Rebecca had said.

"Just the basics," he said. "Us going to San Francisco, what the Seal does to people, its duelling effects. I didn't want her to run into it and not be prepared..."

"What about me?" Mai asked cautiously. Joey shot her a look before taking a deep breath.

"Nothing."

"Joey..." Mai sighed. The barer of Hermos shook his head.

"It's in the past Mai."

"But it's not, Joey," Mai said firmly, stopping and putting her hands on her hips. "The Orichalcos is back, right now. Serenity has a right to know..." she swallowed. "To know how much I was involved."

"Mai, she looks at you like you're her big sister," Joey told her sincerely. "I didn't want to ruin that for her."

Mai's face drained of colour. "What are you saying? You said you had forgiven me."

"_Though I can't imagine why you did..._" she added privately. Joey looked alarmed and shook his head.

"No no, not that at all!" he said urgently. "Of course I forgave you. There was never a question. I just don't want to get Serenity involved in all of this. She's already been in danger once this year because of these cloak-wearing creeps. It seems the more she knows, the more danger it will put her in. I'd rather she didn't know anything about the Orichalcos at all."

Mai was relieved that her worry had been reassured, but at the same time, she could not help but disapprove.

"She flipped her lid when she found out you'd been hiding it from her, didn't she?"

Joey looked guilty. "Well yeah...we had almost been hurt and she had no idea what was going on."

Mai shook her head sadly. "I know you just want to protect her. But don't you think she has the right to know just what the Orichalcos is capable of...what _I'm _capable of?"

Joey's gaze turned fierce. "Mai this isn't some attempt to make yourself feel bad is it?"

Mai's jaw fell open. She tried to say something in response, but she couldn't form the words as she realised Joey was right. Part of this did feel like an attempt to punish herself further for what she had done. She just did not feel as though she had atoned for everything she had put Joey and his friends – _her friends – _through during the last crisis with the Orichalcos. She had essentially thrown their offered friendship back in their faces because she wanted to win. What kind of person did that make her? There was no way she could ever make up for that.

"You need to stop punishing yourself like this," Joey said firmly, taking a step towards her, and taking her shoulders gently. "There's no need. None of us care what you _did. _We care about here and now."

He sighed, dropping his head slightly so that the front of his hair flopped over his eyes. "And you're right. Serenity should know, if only so she can tell you herself that it doesn't matter to her either. She honestly won't care Mai –" he added, seeing Mai open her mouth to interrupt. "- you're one of the most important people in the world to her. She'll forgive you...hell there's nothing to forgive."

Mai relaxed a little. "Thanks Joey...I'll tell Serenity if that's okay. I'd rather she heard it from me."

"Sure thing," Joey nodded, before turning his head and realising that they were alone in the street. "Oops. We got left behind. Better pick up the pace."

"Yeah some of us urgently need their beauty sleep," Mai agreed.

"Nah, you don't need any beauty sleep," Joey said immediately, a blush tinting his cheeks when he realised what he had said.

"Sweet Joey," Mai smiled. "But I was talking about you."

"Hey! Take that back! I'm always good looking!" Joey whined. Mai just jabbed him in the side and laughed at the expression on his face.

OOO

Bakura lay on the bed belonging to his hikari's father. The man was still not back yet – not that he was particularly keen to see him, but Ryou was worried, and by default Bakura was worried about him.

Ryou had fallen asleep a while ago, deciding that rest would put him in the best mindset to duel tomorrow. Bakura knew he should return to the Ring again soon to recharge. Though he could hold this form a bit longer, he wanted to be ready should there be any trouble tomorrow.

Because there was always trouble in tournaments with Item Bearers present. It did not matter whether the trouble was a crazy game creator trying to resurrect his dead wife, or the evil alter ego of an Egyptian Tomb Keeper, or indeed, a crazy psychotic thief looking for revenge against a certain Pharaoh. There was _always _trouble.

The Item Bearers didn't do peace and quiet. It was that simple. And there was no way of stopping this trouble from appearing. All they could do was prepare and try and minimise the damage done. Bakura had to admit though, he never thought he would see himself on the side trying to stop the chaos and mayhem...well maybe that time he had teamed up with Malik against his darker half, but that had been a one off, and besides, it had ended in disaster.

The door lock clicked, and Bakura was on his feet as soon as it was pushed open. Ryou's father stood in the doorway, his mouth half way open to speak, when Bakura appeared in front of him, his fingers against his lips.

"He's sleeping," he hissed briefly, stepping aside to let the surprised man in. "So keep the noise down."

"What are you doing here?" Adrian blurted before he could stop himself. He had spent the better part of the evening trying to get his head around the situation...and finding he just could not. It had been so much easier to believe Ryou was slightly crazy from years of being alone...but the truth was he had not been alone. There had been some sort of insane spirit inhabiting his head, and as of recently, keeping him company in solid form...

It was too much. His mind would not go there.

So his stretched mind was just not prepared to see Bakura in solid form again. The spirit had just thrown all his perceptions of possibility out of the window, and he was acting so casual, standing there, watching over Ryou like some sort of dark guardian.

It infuriated Adrian.

"Making sure you got back okay," Bakura grumbled. "Ryou was worried, and I'd rather he not throw his duels tomorrow due to lack of sleep." He rolled his eyes. "Believe me, I could think of a million other things I would rather be doing..."

"No I mean, why are you still here?" Adrian demanded. "You've got a body, why are you hanging around my son?"

Bakura gave the man a harsh glare. "I'm sure the Pharaoh explained. I cannot maintain this form for long, and then I return to the Ring." He nodded at the jewellery around Ryou's neck. "As for what I am doing back in this life, I am here to thieve and steal souls. But most importantly, I am here to protect Ryou."

"He does not need protection," Adrian immediately said. "He has managed fine so far."

Bakura's look became one of cruel satisfaction. "And just how would you know that from all the way in Egypt?"

"I..." Adrian floundered slightly, before regaining his means of speech. "He would have told me if anything was wrong..."

"Really?" Bakura looked downright amused now. "Are you sure about that?" He took a step forwards. "I wonder, mortal, just how well do you _really _know your son?"

Grinning abruptly through sharp teeth, the thief knew he had won this round. "Night night," he said tauntingly, before allowing his body to dissolve into wisps of dark shadows, which immediately blended with those cast off of the furniture in the dark room.

OOO

The Shadows flowed lazily over the sleeping figure, swirling slightly as they were caught in the wake of his slow, deep breathing. There were several forces at work tonight, but this one was particularly close to this individual. The Shadows giggled in their childlike state, eager for a little mischief after their earlier temper tantrum at losing one of their most valuable prisoners. They needed to warn their masters of the upcoming threat, and in their naive little way of thinking, this was the best way.

The figure on the bed suddenly tensed, as the brain commanded every muscle to lock into place to prevent accidental movement or injury, exactly as it would in REM sleep. A deep breath was drawn and the normally quiet voice spoke firmly and clearly, despite the fact he remained deeply asleep.

_The Dark shall return with the Magic of Old…and paradise shall be lost to the shadows with every soul that awaits judgement…the chosen ones shall fight…that which is most precious to them must be reclaimed as darkness covers the world…_

With a final sigh, the figure relaxed onto the sheets again. The Shadows giggled once more, before dissipating and leaving the Bearer to his dreamless sleep. Everything would be fine now.

OOO

**A/N: **I know most of this is filler. It's necessary filler however. And I know that this chapter was completely YuGiOh-cast centric. Which is why the next chapter will hopefully be mostly Harry, Ron and Hermione centric, and will be less filler more action.

Serenity's little incident with the perfume...yeah, I actually did that when I was fifteen months old. I didn't need my stomach pumped thank the Gods, but I was pretty wasted for the rest of the day apparently...might explain why I'm teetotal now actually.

Isis: Beta here! Mei wished me to ask all English readers (those of you from England and the surrounding area. Sorry Americans.) who might/will be going to Ayacon and Sunnycon. Mei attends those cons yearly, and would love to meet some of her readers to gush about how awesome you are. Mention it in a review or a PM and she'll get back to you.

See you all next chapter!


	5. Chapter 5: Let the Championships Begin

**A/N: **Yoohoo! Mei here, bouncing away because I HIT 50K ON NANO BABY! Imma see if I can get to 70K before NaNoWriMo finishes this month. I think that's a pretty good target. And I have other projects to finish too, most important being my belly dance choreography for my performance in three weeks, for which I still have no costume because nobody makes belly dance outfits for people who are five foot ten and flat – if I were a ballerina I would _not _be having this problem!

A huge thank you to everyone who reviewed. I told myself that I would reply to everybody last chapter, but then stuff happened and I couldn't remember who I'd replied to and who I hadn't. I will try better this time.

I like this chapter for some reason. Don't know why. Hope you do too!

OOO

**Chapter 5: Let the Championships begin**

The stone floor echoed with quick, solid footsteps made by a heavy boot, and a cloak slithered along behind it. The auror's wand was lit at the end, casting bizarre shadows over the walls of the Department of Mysteries. The whole Ministry was deserted at this time of night, and so it was perfect for his little heist. He had never been into this department before – you were not authorised unless you were the Minister or an Unspeakable. However he had memorised the floor plan, having received it from Rookwood weeks ago, and knew just where he was heading. He also knew the spell to disable the revolving room, and to freeze any security spells he may come across. Anything else that had been added since Rookwood's day...well, he would just have to rely on his wits. That was what he was trained to do after all.

The door shut behind him, and he quickly waved his wand before the room could even budge an inch. He hurried hastily to the third door on his left, unlocking it and making his way through the dark. Abruptly the light from his wand was extinguished, and would not relight, no matter how hard he tried.

It was not an issue for long however. At the presence of another human being, the Orichalcos stones began to glow, in reaction to the darkness in his heart, illuminating the room with a green hue. The man grinned. He had what he had come for. Now it was just time to be the delivery man.

OOO

A few rooms away, in the Hall of Prophecy, there was a glow from the furthest shelf at the back. A lot of the surrounding area had recently been refurbished after the Death Eaters had broken in over a year ago, and consequently several shelves of prophecies were missing, but still new ones reappeared in their allocated slots, with the cataloguing charm going straight to work as usual with this new addition...only this time, where the description would normally rest, there was just a black smudge of shadow, as though someone had taken a brush of purple and black paint and smeared it over so it could never be read. The wizarding charm battled fiercely, before relenting and leaving just the initials behind.

"_R.B to T.K.B."_

OOO

Harry knew as soon as he walked down from his room the next morning that something was very wrong. The few witches and wizards that were present this early, all had copies of the Daily Prophet plastered to their noses, and were not paying too much attention to the breakfast below them. One witch was staring in open mouthed horror, and did not notice that there was egg yolk dripping onto her robes. Tom was wiping the same glass over and over again, his usual crooked smile gone, and his eyes fixed on the headline that lay on the bar.

Ron and Hermione were squirreled away in at their usual table in the corner. Hermione's eyes were scanning the front page words so quickly that her pupils had become little brown blurs. Ron was reading over her shoulder, a dark frown on his face.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked, unable to keep the dread out of his voice. Hermione dropped the paper and pushed it towards him.

"Someone broke into the Department of Mysteries and stole the stones," she said quietly.

Behind his glasses, Harry's eyes went wide and he seized the offered paper and scanned the page quickly. It was very scant in details on the actual robbery, preferring instead to fill up page space with a repeated list of known Death Eaters who had stones, what made the Orichalcos dark magic, and a reminder of the recent attack on St Mungos and possible links to Death Eater activity. Harry summarised it up immediately.

"They don't know a whole lot do they?" he pointed out.

"Mate, when does the Daily Prophet know anything?" Ron scoffed. "But you are right. They are just padding the article here. I'm guessing the Ministry doesn't know a whole lot about it at all."

"But how did they even get into the Department anyway?" Harry asked. "We've been down there. It's a maze. No one could walk in and take the stones so quickly and easily."

"Well that's true," Hermione agreed. "I have a theory though."

She hastily cast the charm to mask their conversation, before continuing. "Think of all the Death Eaters you know. Now think of one who used to know the Department of Mysteries, and who would have had access to all the floor plans, and most of the protective charms...or at least, the older ones."

"Rookwood!" Harry realised. "Of course...if he used to work there he would have at least been able to guess which room they might be keeping the stones in, and how to get to them. Yami was right."

"Exactly," Hermione nodded. "Now I could be just guessing here, but Rookwood would not be able to get into the Department any more, even if he was still…well, alive," she grimaced slightly at her blunt phrasing, before moving swiftly on. "The Ministry has changed a lot since he was there, and he would probably get lost or caught. And besides, he'd be too valuable for the Death Eaters to lose. So they'd need someone who knows the Ministry well, can fight their way out of trouble if needs be, and is trained to deal with dangerous curses and spells."

"An auror," Ron said immediately before gasping. "That Adams bloke!"

"It's certainly a possibility," Hermione nodded once more. "After all, he would be very familiar with the Ministry security now."

"Do you think we should tell someone?" Ron asked.

"Who would we tell, Ron?" Harry asked. "We can't tell anyone at the Ministry without telling them how we know, and that might risk them finding out about Yugi, Ryou and Malik. Besides Adams is stalking them now on the Ministry's order. They'll be watching their every move. We're just going to have to poke around for more information."

"Like we usually do," Hermione added, a small grin on her face. Ron looked sheepish.

"Yeah well, it hasn't failed us before has it?" he asked, before remembering something. "By the way Hermione, did you find anything out about that Oshar guy?"

Harry knew that Hermione had apperated to Diagon Alley during the afternoon to purchase a large number of reference books, including another copy of the Ancient Magical Games book by Meredith Lebey. He hoped with all that she had got, she had been able to turn up something.

"I did," Hermione nodded, patting her bag. "I've got a list of details here that I can cross reference with Rebecca, Malik and Yami. As soon as we've got a spare moment, we'll sit down and see what we can turn up."

Harry was pleased. There were too many coincidences over the last few days. Ryou and Bakura finding a traitorous auror, meeting with Rookwood, and an ex Tomb Keeper who had potentially dangerous information on the Shadow Games was just too strange. And now the Orichalcos stones had mysteriously gone missing from the Department of Mysteries. There was some weird stuff going on here, and it didn't feel good at all.

OOO

Harry had never seen the Underground so packed. Along with the usual rush hour commuters, the carriages were full of people on their way to the tournament. Small communities of fans had built up in the aisles, decked out in Duel Monsters t-shirts, which stuck to them like a second skin due to the humidity, and caps which kept getting knocked off in excitement. Full length posters of the different duellists were being supported by various groups of fans, and Harry was surprised as he saw several people who had taken it upon themselves to copy Yugi's hairstyle with varying degrees of success. He found it amusing that they clashed spectacularly with one of the advertisements plastered across the top of the car.

"This is like a Quidditch match," Ron muttered in a low voice. Fortunately the fans were being so noisy that there was little chance of being overheard unless you shouted.

"I had no idea how big this was," Hermione admitted. "Now I understand why the stadium is so huge."

She pulled out the guidebook that had come with their tickets (which were safely in Hermione's purse, and had been since she had booked them), leafed past the duellist biographies, and began scanning the stadium details.

"Seats twenty thousand people," she read aloud. "It cost over a hundred million pounds to build, and was a joint venture by Kaiba Corp and Industrial Illusions. They built it on some reclaimed land off the Thames edge because there was no room for it elsewhere..."

Harry knew that by the end of the day, Hermione would probably have memorised that guidebook.

"Hope it's not too far away," Ron muttered, when Hermione paused to draw breath. "It's bloody hot in here. Nothing like last year."

Sure enough, though the temperature had dropped a small bit since the day before, the clouds only seemed to compound the humidity, making the dip almost unnoticeable.

"Becky thinks it's because of the Orichalcos," Hermione interjected. "She mentioned that it's like the climate is readjusting itself and making up for last year."

"Becky?" Ron asked, in an amused tone. "You made friends real quick."

Hermione gave Ron a look.

"Why not? She's very nice, and we have a lot in common." She looked thoughtful suddenly. "But it's really strange..."

"What is?" Harry asked.

"How comfortable they are with the spirits," Hermione explained, remembering in particular Tea's revelation the day before. "I mean Becky and Serenity had never seen Yami or Bakura before this trip...well, not separate from Yugi and Ryou at least. But they seem so at ease."

"Tell me about it," Ron nodded. "I mean did you see when we got there at lunch yesterday? Bakura just popped out of nowhere," he thrust his hands up into the air to demonstrate. "And none of them batted an eyelid."

"You just screamed like a little girl," Harry reminded him, with a grin. Ron glared, and Hermione just rolled her eyes as the train pulled to a stop at Sloane Square.

"We're here," Harry stated, though he need not have bothered. The mere fact that the legions of fans were now pouring out of the doors should have been a clue, and so the friends grabbed their belongings and headed off after them.

The stadium was a good ten minute walk from the Underground, but it was easy to spot the huge building from a good distance away. It was obvious that not just a lot of money had gone into its development, but a lot of planning and full scale construction. Several tonnes of various raw materials had been sculpted into a titan of architecture that now dominated the bank of the Thames. The skeleton was pillars of steel that formed a giant web filled with tinted windows showing people moving about inside the ticket area. The roof of the stadium was covered by a large white marquee, which looked like a giant sail, presumably to keep out the rain. However as they watched, it was slowly pulled back to allow sunlight to stream into the central arena of the stadium.

"You can tell Kaiba paid for this," Ron muttered, admiring the Blue Eyes statues that flanked the pathway. Harry laughed. From what he remembered of the CEO, it seemed entirely possible.

"Still," Ron continued. "It's bloody impressive, even if it was built without magic."

The queue to get into the building was huge, and they were jostled by fans all the way. A few random people wandered, trying to hawk fake tickets, while some more honest ones were selling souvenirs in the form of key rings, mugs, commemorative figures and of course, booster packs. Several were obviously Kaiba Corp employees, as they handed out leaflets detailing the promotional offers on duel disks.

"Harry! Ron! Hermione!"

The three friends turned quickly and grinned as they saw Tristan, Tea, Serenity and Duke approaching, looking just as excited as everyone else. They also wore ID cards around their necks proclaiming them to be 'Guests', except for Duke's which said 'Expo Staff'.

"Alright there?" Tristan asked. "Mad isn't it?"

"You're telling us," Harry agreed. "The Underground looked a real sight."

"Yeah our line too," Duke agreed.

"Where are the others?" Hermione asked, knowing that the duellists could hardly be out here, or they would be swamped with fans.

"Inside already," Tea explained. "We all had to be here before they opened the doors to the public; else we would have been spotted."

Harry checked his watch. It was twenty to ten.

"We came to find out where you're sitting," Tea finished. Hermione flipped over the tickets and consulted them.

"Dark Magician, seats thirty six, thirty seven and thirty eight."

"They named the seating zones after duel monsters?" Ron asked, rolling his eyes. "Who _thinks _of these things?"

"I think that was Pegasus's idea," Duke nodded. "Since this is the first time the stadium has been used, they named the seating zones after the signatures cards of the sixteen competitors to commemorate the event."

"So where are you guys sitting?" Harry asked.

"The VIP box," Serenity told them, flicking the badge around her neck. "These things give us access to all the backstage areas too. We'll come find you guys during the intermission. Rebecca wants to talk to you especially Hermione."

Hermione nodded, understanding exactly what she meant. "We'll be there."

They were almost at the front of the line now, and so they waved goodbye to their friends before heading in. Left and right fans swarmed, pushing to try and get to the front quicker. The woman in the ticket booth gave their tickets a check over, tore off the section for Day One, stamped each of their hands with a lime green Industrial Illusions logo, and directed them to their seats.

It was clear Hermione had paid a lot for these seats. They were in the third row of the inner ring, putting them very close to the arena, and all the action. Directly opposite them was one of the two giant screens, currently flashing up advertisements of various sponsors, predominantly for Industrial Illusions and Kaiba Corp. Dotted around the bottom row of the seats were three private boxes, clearly meant for officials and people who could afford to sit up front to the action.

"Pity we've got no omnioculars," Ron muttered.

"We don't need them with these seats," Harry grinned. Unlike in Quidditch matches, front row was definitely better for Duel Monsters.

"Yeah good choice Hermione," Ron agreed, and Hermione went pink in the cheeks.

The stadium was almost full now, with different fans of different duellists mixing into the loud din that was slowly growing in mounting excitement. Posters and banners were being waved madly, and here and there were additional splashes of colour from the people who had dyed their hair, or the few that had cosplayed as duel monsters for the day.

"Do you think they have to separate the Joey and Kaiba fans so they don't try and kill each other?" Ron asked. Harry chuckled, knowing that Kaiba and Joey's rivalry was almost as legendary as that of Kaiba and Yugi.

"I doubt it," Hermione shook her head. "Besides, you might be rooting for different people. I'm rooting for Yugi, Ryou, Malik and Becky."

"And what will you do if they have to duel each other?" Harry asked.

"Oh come on, you can't bet against Yugi!" Ron said in disbelief. "You know everyone says he never loses."

"Ron if everyone said the sun will not rise tomorrow, would that make it so?" Hermione asked, arching an eyebrow. "I know Yugi is good, but I still think it's impossible for a person not to be beat."

Harry and Ron exchanged looks, sharing exactly the same thought.

"_She'll see…"_

It was only as they all turned their heads back to the stadium that they realised that the light was dimming. There was a hum of machinery and several people had turned their heads skyward to watch the marquee being pulled slowly back over the stadium.

"What are they doing?" Hermione wondered. Harry and Ron could only shrug as the last of the light was cut off entirely, and the stadium was left in the dark.

They did not have long to wait, as a million tiny pinpricks of light shone across the field, the marquee and the seats. Harry raised his own hands and was amused to see the lights scattered across his skin. He realised that the holographic projectors had been installed around every spare inch of the stadium for optimum duelling effect.

From the middle of the stadium the logos for Industrial Illusions and Kaiba Corp flashed across the ground before being replaced by images of the sixteen competitor's favourite monsters. The images raced around the arena before, to everyone's surprise, they seemed to grow out of the floor of the arena into their three dimensional holographic forms, and flashed around the stadium.

"Brilliant!" Ron was grinning from ear to ear. Hermione was spellbound, and Harry couldn't help but be impressed as he ducked a blast of flames from the Red-Eyes Black Dragon. They were so real; he had actually tried to avoid the attacks. He yelped as a screech appeared from behind him, and a buxom woman with feathery wings – Cyber Harpie Lady – soared right over their heads.

In a climactic burst of music, all of the monsters spread out around the stadium, and blasted attacks towards the middle. Several people yelped as streaks of white lightning, burning flames and black magic soared overhead, and collided in the middle in a burst of flame and a shower of fireworks. The audience roared with delight, and the holograms slowly faded away.

"That was incredible!" Hermione squealed. Harry had to hand it to the holograms – they had got Hermione more excited in under a minute than a solid hour of Quidditch would have. Two spotlights shone from either side of the stadium, and pointed their way towards a square box sticking out of the side of the rows of seats. They breezed over the glass, but Harry caught a glimpse of spiky tri-coloured hair – that must be where the competitors were sitting.

On the balcony above the competitor box, one pair of black-suited bodyguards were visible in the spotlights. They did not have to wait long as a gentleman ascended the stairs behind the box and appeared on the balcony, perfectly visible to all. The audience screamed again and a chant began to echo around the seats.

Though Harry had seen pictures of Maximillion Pegasus before, he had never seen him for real – the man would have been remarkable enough with his long silvery hair and flamboyant wine coloured suit, but he seemed to radiate an aura of exuberance that no picture could ever capture. He was clearly in his element. Like everyone in this stadium, he was passionate about this game and his heart was truly in it. It was reminding Harry more and more of a Quidditch game as the seconds ticked on.

"Greetings duellists and spectators alike to this – the third annual Duel Monsters World Championships!"

The audience screamed in blissful excitement, and Pegasus chuckled lightly, flicking a strand of hair away from his shoulders.

"It is my greatest pleasure to welcome you here to the first public Duel Monsters stadium in Great Britain, and the home of this year's tournament. For here this week we have brought you the best of the best in the duelling world. Every competitor here has risen to greatness, and now, we shall find once and for all, who deserves the honour of calling themselves the World Champion!"

There was a rumble as the audience cheered and stamped their feet against the stadium floor. They were eager for the talking to be done and for the action to start. Pegasus seemed to sense this, for the screens lit up once more and the names and photographs of all the duellists began to flash up across the stadium. They slowed to a gradual stop and the lines of battle were drawn across the screen. The audience were clearly pleased with this outcome as they began to scream in earnest once more.

Harry squinted at the screen and across the faces of the sixteen competitors. He could see Yugi was up second, with Malik right behind him. Ryou was right at the very end – the last duellist of round one.

"Well there you have it!" Pegasus crooned. "Our matches have been decided! So without further preamble, I declare this championship tournament open!"

The cheering and stamping began again, and the seeding faded away, leaving the pictures of the first two duellists up on the screen. The opening ceremonies moved right off into the first round of duelling, with no pause – the audience did not want a pause – they came to see a fight. Now it was just up to the duellists to give them one.

"They don't hang around, do they?" Ron said, squinting as the marquee was drawn back so that everyone could see properly. Harry shook his head, and poked his friend in the side as the two duellists appeared on the field, duel disks at the ready, and determination on their faces.

"Ooh! It's Becky!" Hermione sounded gleeful. Harry guessed that she had really taken to the child prodigy. Sure enough, he recognised the blonde haired, loud mouthed American on the field, and he wondered just what kind of deck she ran.

Rebecca, as it turned out, was an immediate surprise for Harry. Only Hermione, who had spent any length of time around her was un-shocked by her strategy. You could be forgiven for thinking her to be five years old with her bratty griping and high pitched voice. Her opponent was Raoul Garez, a loud man who held the title of South American Champion, and like most of Rebecca's opponents, he took this immaturity as a sign of stupidity, and immediately let his guard down. This proved to be a fatal mistake, for the second he realised he had left himself in a vulnerable position, Rebecca's attitude suddenly became fierce, locking him down with Gravity Bind and sapping his life points away with her Fire Princess and Marie the Fallen One combo.

Her final blow came when she summoned Honest, a fairy with weak attack but a powerful effect allowing him to be returned to Rebecca's hand during her main phase. Comboed with Spring of Rebirth, which boosted her life points each time a monster returned to her hand, Ultimate Offering which allowed her to continuously resummon Honest, and Fire Princess which drained Raoul's life points each time Rebecca gained them, she succeeded in wiping out almost three thousand of his life points in one move and earning her the first victory.

"Wow," Ron remarked, as the last of Raoul's life points ticked away. "She really can duel!"

"You sound so surprised," Hermione shook her head in exasperation. "Rebecca is a genius, remember? Her childish act is just that – an act."

"As a strategy, it works really well," Ron admitted. "Her opponent had no idea what was happening..."

"Looks like he still doesn't now," Harry remarked. Sure enough, Raoul appeared to be in a state of shock, as the crowd went wild, shouting Rebecca's name. The prodigy winked at the stunned man, before giving the crowd one last wave and leaving through the lower doors.

Straight after Rebecca, Yugi was up. His opponent, Ali Demir, was the fifteen year old, West Asian runner up. She did not say a lot in the way of banter, and she blushed furiously when the audience cheered for her. It was clear from the expression on the quietly spoken girl's face that Yugi's reputation preceded him, and she was not a hundred percent convinced of her chances. It was hard to tell from a distance, but Harry was sure from the height and the voice, that it was Yugi duelling today, which surprised him, as he had always heard that Yami took over for duelling. He made a mental note to ask about it later.

Facing the World Champion or not, Ali did not plan to go down without a fight, running a surprisingly powerful Counter Fairy deck, and proving herself a very worthwhile opponent. However Yugi was not the King of Games for no reason, and a combination of Dark Magician of Chaos, and Mage Power was successful in taking down her most powerful monster, Voltanis the Adjudicator, and scoring Yugi the win. Disappointment had not stopped Ali from smiling (through the blush) and shaking Yugi's hand at the end of it, while the young man congratulated her on a good match.

"You still think Yugi can lose?" Ron asked, as the two duellists left the pitch to a thunderous applause.

"Yes," Hermione nodded firmly, causing Ron to roll his eyes.

After the first two duels, the MC announced a two hour intermission for lunch, and the stadium began to empty as people left in search of food. Serenity and Tea came to find the three friends, with wide grins on their faces.

"Having fun?" Tea asked. All three of them nodded.

"It's so much better than watching them duel at Hogwarts," Harry stated, as they made their way up the stairs and towards the VIP box.

"I never realised just how complex the game was," Ron admitted. "I mean we've seen Malik, Ryou and Yugi's strategies before, but all these duellists have different ones. It's huge."

"It's definitely no Quidditch match, I have to say," Hermione grinned. "Those holograms are spectacular though! The opening ceremony was beautiful!"

"I know," Serenity was beaming. "Kaiba outdid himself for this tournament. Everything looks so good. Even the attacks and the monster realism seems to have been boosted."

"I did notice that," Harry admitted. "Yugi got really knocked around by Voltanis in that last match."

"They can handle it," Tea assured him, as they entered the VIP box. "They're all seasoned duellists, and they've trained with the hologram realism so much that they can endure it fine now."

"Though most people still cringe when Yugi brings out his Dark Magician." Rebecca had seen them coming and was waiting by the door, a smug look on her face. Around her neck she wore a badge pass like the others, but with large black capitals declaring "_Rebecca Hawkins: North American Champion_".

"Hey Becky, congratulations," Hermione smiled.

"Yeah, you were awesome!" Ron said. "That guy didn't know what was going on!"

"Heh, they never believe me when I say I'm a genius," Rebecca shook her head, tweaking her glasses as she did. She stepped aside though as Mai approached. "Hey Mai. You're up next, right?"

Mai nodded. "You bet! After lunch I'm going to show you all how it's done!"

The VIP box was a large, spacious area, with one wall that completely comprised of glass windows, allowing the competitors to see out over the field. Directly opposite was one of the large widescreens projecting the duels for all to see, right now, running a list of replays of the two duels of the morning. Harry winced as a close up of Ali's Voltanis getting blasted by Yugi's Dark Magician of Chaos appeared in spectacular detail.

Comfortable looking chairs lined across the window, like a strange row of cinema seats, and a table full of drinks were situated along the back of the room. Most of the competitors had cleared out for lunch already, leaving just their circle of friends left.

Ron whistled. "Celebrities live well!"

"Gotta agree with you there," Joey appeared by their side – Harry did not miss the way he slipped close to Mai. "It's a good gig that's for sure."

"How good a living?" Hermione asked curiously. She had initially been sceptical of the ability of their friends to live off prize money, but now seeing how big the tournament apparently was, she was starting to wonder...

"More than enough," Mai winked at her. "I live off prize money and modelling mostly. Yugi probably makes the most out of all of us – of course," she smirked. "That's all going to change when I beat you this time, short stuff!"

Rather than look offended, as Harry expected, Yugi just smiled. "I'm sure you'll be tough, Mai."

Hearing Rebecca declare that she was going to find the restroom, Mai followed at a quick pace. Harry was surprised.

"Is that...usually how they behave?" he asked Joey, as Ron went to flop in one of the large comfortable seats, and Hermione went to talk to Tea and Serenity.

"What, the banter?" Joey asked. "Yeah it's kinda normal for all of us. It's like our way of encouragement."

It certainly was different to what Harry was used to. Had a Slytherin made that comment to a Gryffindor before a Quidditch match, they would have started a riot in the Great Hall. Come to think of it, the whole atmosphere of the tournament had been friendly banter rather than nasty insults. It felt more civilised in a way, and Harry wondered if Duel Monsters was to Quidditch what cricket was to football in the muggle world.

"Hey some people are missing," Harry pointed out, parking himself in a seat next to his best friend. "Where are Malik, Tristan and Duke?"

"We sent them to get sandwiches," Joey explained. "We're all starving!"

"Want me to call them and get you guys something too?" Yugi asked, pulling out his phone.

"And where's Ryou?" Harry finished, as Ron began placing a large order. Ryou's absence was conspicuous by Bakura's silence, and the lack of murderous threats in the air.

"Gone for lunch with his father," Joey explained. "His Dad found out about Bakura and Yami last night. He didn't exactly take it well. I think Ryou's going to try and explain it a bit better."

Harry pulled a face, and was thankful he had never felt the need to share his own experiences with voices in his head with the Dursleys.

"Sandwiches on their way," Yugi announced, and Hermione immediately rounded on him.

"I've got a lot of information that I want to discuss with everyone-"

"Brilliant," Yugi beamed, and he looked so glad, that Hermione did not have it in her to be irritated that he had interrupted. "We thought we might wait until after the matches today – there's less chance of being overheard at the hotel, and we can spend as long as we need to discuss it."

"We get to see where all the duellists are staying?" Ron asked eagerly, as Hermione slipped past him and out towards the bathroom since her services were no longer required.

"Yup," the King of Games nodded. "And the expo will be on at the hotel after all the matches, so the place will be crowded – we can give the aurors the slip with no problems."

As he mentioned their less than friendly stalkers, Harry realised that they had not seen either auror all day, and he wondered just what they were up to.

OOO

"I honestly never realised that the game could be so psychological," Hermione said as they stepped out of the ladies bathroom. She had caught up with Mai and Rebecca in the stadium entrance hall and had not stopped talking since. "I mean I knew Ryou and Bakura use their deck to scare people, but it never occurred to me that you could manipulate people to such an extent – I mean Yugi seemed to know just what Ali was going to do just from what she said or the way she acted. And Becky, that guy looked like he'd run straight into a wall when you locked him down!"

Rebecca tweaked her glasses straight and grinned. "It's the best strategy. Make them think they have the advantage – then when you take it away from them and run over them, they're too shaken to get back up. It's like fighting two duels – the one with holograms, and the mind game."

People were trickling up and down the corridor, which lead back to the main entrance to the building, most of them surging towards the exit in search of food, talking excitedly about the first two matches and the ones that would take place that afternoon.

"So what are you making of the overall tournament so far?" Rebecca asked her new friend. "Beats wizard competition?"

"Oh by miles," Hermione assured them. "I mean, Wizard Chess is okay, but I'm really bad at it. Same for Gobstones. I suppose there is Quidditch, that's always fun, but I don't play. I'm always a spectator. Harry and Ron are dead serious about it – kinda like Yugi and the others are about Duel Monsters."

Mai flipped her hair. "Oh that's not just them. We're all the same. It's a duellist's life. For most duellists, this is how they earn their living. Of course people like me and Becks would do it for fun anyway..."

"But the money is a nice bonus," Rebecca beamed. "Course for people like Joey, they save it for something big like their sibling's college funds. For me it means I'm earning even though I'm still a minor." She huffed, blowing her blonde fringe out of her eyes. "I can't believe that I'll be a college graduate in a year and I still won't be able to make my own decisions for ages!

Hermione couldn't help but see where Rebecca was coming from – it was maddening to have knowledge sometimes and be unable to do anything with it because you were still considered a child. She thought of how many times she, Ron and Harry had been shot down or stopped by teachers or other bodies of authority who thought that they were too young to handle themselves. She blinked as she wondered where this sudden bout of something resembling teenage rebellion had come from.

The crowds jostled their way to the entrance doors, and Mai, being the tallest, went first to elbow her way through the people, meaning that all Hermione and Rebecca had to do was stick close to the tall blonde. They hadn't gone far though when Mai suddenly jerked to a halt with an "oof!" of pain.

"Sorry!" a voice said from somewhere down by her waist. Hermione saw Mai straighten and her tense stance drop immediately.

"Leon?"

"Mai?"

Peering around Mai, Hermione and Rebecca saw a short young man with deep purple hair and an open, smiling face beaming at their friend. He wore shorts and a purple button up shirt, looking distinctly smart and child-like at the same time. On his left arm, he carried a duel disk, and around the lanyard on his neck was a badge with the words "_Leon __Von Schroeder__: European Runner Up_".

Mai gave him a high five. "Looking good kiddo. Where have you been? Didn't see you in the VIP box."

Leon rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah well, big brother got a private box for the both of us and he wanted to watch the first rounds with me. Y'know, brotherly bonding time, in his own way. I'll come sit with you guys tomorrow. I still haven't said hello to Yugi and Joey yet!"

"Hey Leon!" Rebecca finally appeared from behind Mai, flashing him a peace sign and sticking her tongue out. Leon chuckled.

"Hey Rebecca! It's been a while!"

"It sure has. You'd better make sure you win the first round, because I'm ready for a rematch!"

"You guys know each other?" Hermione asked, wondering just how vast the duelling circuits were – Becky was definitely American, and from his accent, she guessed Leon was probably German.

"Sure do!" Rebecca said, slinging an arm over Leon's shoulder and letting him blush. "We met at the KC Championships last summer."

"And you duelled?" Hermione asked. "Who won?"

Rebecca pulled a face, and Leon looked sheepish. Hermione's eyebrows lifted and she wondered what kind of deck Leon used that could pull off a win against someone of Rebecca's talent.

"Leon this is Hermione. We met her through Yugi. Hermione – Leon. He's the European runner up."

"Are you a duellist too?" Leon asked as he shook Hermione's proffered hand. The girl blushed.

"Not at all. I just like watching it. I'm not very strategic..."

"So where's your brother now?" Mai asked, and Hermione could not help but notice that Rebecca scowled at the question. Clearly there was some kind of history there. Leon checked his watch.

"Checking in with the company I imagine. I thought I'd come stretch my legs and see who else was around. I don't know that many people at this tournament – I mean I know Yugi and Joey and all the big names of course, and I'm friends with the Oceania runner up..."

"Well Malik Ishtar and Ryou Bakura are both here," Rebecca said. "Both Battle City finalists. They're filling in for two competitors who had to drop out."

Standing on tiptoes, Hermione scanned the entrance hall, and spotted a few faces she recognised from her programme of events.

"That girl over there is Natalya Volkov – she's up against Malik after lunch."

"I know her," Mai nodded. "West Asian Champion. Female duellists are hard to come by on the professional circuits, so we keep in touch. Nice girl. Doesn't take crap from anyone."

"Kinda like you then," Rebecca smirked.

"Ali Demir and Hana Nasri are over there by the door," Hermione interjected before Mai could respond. "Ali's the one who just lost to Yugi, and Hana is the African runner up."

"They're friends I think," Rebecca added. "I've seen them hanging together in the hotel." She scowled. "Looks like they've got problems..."

She was right – the crowds had cleared enough for them to see that a muscled man in a denim vest had cornered both girls by the door, and was peering down at them with a sneer on his face. Hermione felt a prickle of unease as she watched the exchange. Hana, who wore tight clothes and exhibited the same type of confidence as Mai, was scowling fiercely, but Hermione could see her squeezing a handful of chocolate bars into pulp as though trying to stop her hand from shaking. Ali herself was the polar opposite to her friend, wearing long sleeves, loose trousers and a hijab. She fiddled anxiously with a bright pink sports bottle and looked as though she wanted nothing more than to sink into the floor.

"Now that guy I definitely know," Mai was frowning. "Cody Morris – he's the Oceania Champion. Obnoxious little..."

"I've heard of him!" Leon was nodding. "My friend Riley has told me about him. We'd better go see if they're alright."

He was off through the crowd before anyone could stop him, and Mai and Rebecca were close behind. Hermione was not sure if this was a good idea, but she weaved her way after them, hoping that things would not get violent.

She need not have worried. They were barely half way across the hall when Hana and Ali were suddenly no longer alone. Koji Oku, Mokuba Kaiba and a boy with black and blue dyed hair were standing next to them, glaring at Cody furiously. As they came within earshot, Hermione could hear a fluent mixture of what sounded like angry swearwords in English and Afrikaans spewing from Hana's mouth in Cody's direction. He did not seem that impressed – hardly surprising given that Hana barely came up to his chin.

"Problem guys?" Mai was the first to arrive, folding her arms in a vision of supreme confidence. Hermione was impressed, and wished that she could do that. Cody frowned seeing that he was now outnumbered several times over. He seemed to disregard Rebecca and Leon completely, but his eyes did linger on Mai and Hermione in a way that made the young witch's stomach contract unpleasantly.

"No problems, thanks Mai," Hana said, regaining her breath after her verbal tirade.

"Yeah..." Ali's voice was quiet, her eyes flicking anxiously around the large group, and the attention that they seemed to have gained. "Cody was just leaving."

"Depending on how fast he does it, he may even get to leave in one piece," the boy with dyed hair cracked his knuckles hopefully. His name badge declared _Riley King: Oceania Runner Up_.

"Hey I wasn't talking to you, brat," Cody sneered at his apparent rival. "I was just having me a conversation with the two Fairy Queen's over here."

"Hey, our Fairies could kick your ass any day," Hana snapped. "Now clear off!"

Hermione felt a strange tingle in the air and through the din of the entrance hall and the sounds of talking from all around her, she heard the faintest whisper drop into her ear like water. Her eyes went wide, and she jumped as Cody suddenly leaped into the air, clutching his backside. Apparently someone unseen had gone by and kicked him in the rear.

"Alright alright! I'm going! Friggin women..."

And he stomped off in the crowd. Hermione watched him go, her beady eyes scanning the area for any sign of a cloaked figure. But it was impossible to distinguish anyone in the shoving mass of people.

Riley snorted. "What a loser."

"Tell me about it," Mokuba said. "Oooh I hope Seto is up against him in round two..."

"Not a chance," Mai stated. "Joey's facing Cody tomorrow, and there's no way he's going to lose to that blowhard."

"Are you guys alright?" Koji asked, a sweet smile lighting up his face as he turned towards Hana and Ali. Hermione couldn't help but be amused at the blush that spread over his cheekbones. Koji was only ten, and he was probably at that awkward stage of school where he didn't quite know how to talk to girls, especially ones that were older than him. Ali looked just as uncomfortable as everyone's attention swung back to them, but Hana gave a warm smile in response, and linked pinky fingers with her friend.

"Fine thanks Koji. He just didn't seem to understand the words '_get lost'_."

"Did you guys see who kicked him?" Hermione asked, trying to mask the urgency from her voice. Her stomach was turning slowly, speeding up as everyone shook their heads.

"No, but if I ever find out, I'm buying them a drink – I don't care that I'm underage!" Riley snorted. "Come on, let's get out of here before Cody comes back for more."

"You guys can come up to my box," Leon volunteered automatically. "Big brother can send his PA to get any food we want."

Though the younger duellists were all quick to accept, Mai assured Leon that they had food waiting for them back with their friends, and they said quick goodbyes. Leaving the chatting group in the entrance hall, they began to make their way off to the VIP area.

"Are you sure you didn't see who kicked him?" Hermione asked as they walked.

"No, the crowd was too thick," Rebecca shook her head.

"And I was focusing on the girls," Mai admitted, her eyebrows meeting in a frown. "Why? Is it important?"

Hermione didn't answer. She was deep in thought as they walked. Logically she knew it was impossible –a wizard would never use their powers in such a densely packed muggle area. It would be a serious breach of the statue of secrecy if anyone saw them. And yet she had been sure she had heard someone using the knockback jinx...a jinx that would produce the exact sensation of being walloped on the rear if targeted on Cody...

She shivered. Her mind felt like a rat loose in a maze, racing for the answer but running into dead ends. It couldn't have been a jinx...it just couldn't...

...could it?

OOO

Due to the number of competitors, the afternoon was taken up with Malik and Mai's matches.

Though Harry, Ron and Hermione had seen Malik duel before, the determination with which he entered the arena with was something they had never witnessed before. His opponent, Natalya Volkov was a small Russian duellist in her early twenties, who kept Malik on the ropes with her Ice deck. For a horrible moment, when she managed to bring out Mobius the Frost Monarch and strip Malik of his most powerful monster and his only defence, it looked as though she may win. Malik's deck lived up to its reputation however, quickly reviving Felgrand Dragon and Invader of Darkness, and tearing away the last of Natalya's life points.

Harry was not quite sure what he had expected of Mai, but by the end of her first turn, in which she summoned Cyber Harpie and ripped her way through her opponent's first defence, he knew her strategy reflected her nature to a T. She was vicious and showed no mercy toward Koji, who despite quickly locking her down with his Solar Flare Dragons, was unprepared for Mai's quick adaption to his strategy. Nevertheless he left the arena smiling, clearly having enjoyed himself immensely. Mai gave a confident hair flip before striding off the pitch – the men in the audience naturally went wild.

With the duels for the day over, there was a rush to leave the stadium and get to the hotel for the expo, where Harry, Ron and Hermione planned to meet up with the duellists and discuss their research. Now that the activity for the day appeared to be over, Harry was eager to share information and create possible theories on what the Death Eaters were planning. However, as soon as the friends set foot in the hotel, research went straight out of their minds again.

"Bloody hell," Ron muttered, as they caught sight of the expo. Harry had to grin – Ron had been saying that _a lot _today. Not that he could really blame him - the whole day had been pretty spectacular. Harry supposed that even parts of the muggle world could compare to the awe-inspiring wizarding world.

The expo room consisted of three of the hotels conference rooms, which had been opened up and filled with a number of wonderful and exciting looking stalls, each selling or promoting different things. According to the guide posted beside the main door, the back room was the gaming expo room, showcasing a range of newly released games to the public. The middle room was labelled "The Dealers Room" and apparently was where all the Duel Monsters cards were being sold. The first room however was packed full of souvenirs, Duel Monsters memorabilia, and various other stalls, selling everything and anything they could.

"Hey, guys."

Harry, Ron and Hermione turned to see Tea, Tristan and Serenity, pushing their way towards them, rather as they had that morning at the stadium. Tea was sporting a Dark Magician Girl pendant, and Tristan seemed to have splashed out on a "London Duel Monsters World Championship" t-shirt. Serenity was munching on a box of pocky.

"Hey, no duellists?" Ron asked immediately.

"Are you crazy?" Tristan asked. "They'd be crushed by fangirls down here! They'll come down later when it's quietened down..."

"And most of the good stuff is gone," Tea added, glancing around at the gift tables, which were quickly being swept clean by fans. "But we promised we'd get them anything they wanted."

She held up a Dark Magician necklace, similar to her own. "I got this for Yugi."

"No cards?" Harry asked, gesturing into the next room, which appeared to be packed to exploding point.

"No," Tea shook her head. "They've got all the cards they need."

"I meant for you guys," Harry elaborated. Tea looked surprised.

"Oh no, I'm only a casual player," she admitted.

"Me too," Tristan nodded. "We'll never be as good as Joey and the others. Watching it is more fun anyway."

"I wouldn't mind getting some more cards," Serenity admitted, selecting another stick of pocky from the box before offering one to Hermione. "Joey has been teaching me for a year now."

"You any good?" Ron asked, genuinely curious. Serenity grinned.

"Well considering just over a year ago I didn't know the first thing about the game, I'd say I've got better, yeah," she nodded. Ron looked very thoughtful at this, and only snapped out of it when Serenity offered him her pocky box.

"Let's check it out then," Tea suggested. "Then we can head to the back room and see Duke before we go upstairs."

They pushed through the crowds and broke off to look at the different stands. Harry found himself tagging along with Hermione and Serenity, as they queued at a stall that was selling specialist cards on their own rather than the usual booster packs. Ten minutes of queuing, and five minutes of haggling later, Serenity was walking away from the stand with a first edition copy of the Archlord Zerato.

"It's a fairy," Harry was stating.

"Not just a fairy," Serenity corrected. "He's a really powerful one!"

"It is very beautiful," Hermione was saying. Harry felt his eyes wander to another stall that was selling starter decks and basic booster packs. He paused for just a second, before thinking better of it. Strategy really wasn't his thing after all.

"Hey look," he said suddenly, pulling the others over to the stand. They saw why pretty quickly. Queuing at the front, with a handful of boxes, and a rather sheepish expression on his face, was none other than...

"Ron?" Hermione asked, barely restraining a knowing grin, as the redhead's ears turned pink at their arrival. "What are you doing?"

The youngest Weasley brother looked a little embarrassed, and tried to hide the boxes, but Harry was faster and turned them over to see. Ron was clutching a starter deck, and a structure deck with a very gruesome looking creature on the front. He lifted an eyebrow.

"Interesting choice," he grinned. Ron yanked the boxes away.

"I'm just gonna try it out, okay?" he defended.

"Don't be embarrassed," Hermione soothed. "I think it's a great idea."

Ron brightened up suddenly. "Really?"

"Of course," Hermione nodded. "It's strategic, and it makes you think...should be pretty good for you."

"That deck is a little complex though," Serenity said, observing the structure deck. "You sure you're up for it? I've fought them before and they can be nasty..."

"What are they?" Harry asked. Ron turned the box over to show him before Serenity could explain.

"Archfiends," he said. "The box says the deck is named after the pieces of a chessboard. You need the field spell to work most of them without paying huge costs though. I know it looks difficult," he added, seeing Serenity open her mouth again. "But that's why I'm getting the starter deck too. Once I've got the hang of it, I can start trying with this deck."

Harry had to admit, it sounded like a good plan. And a deck that was based on chess pieces did sound like the perfect kind for Ron - a homage to, what would always be, his favourite strategy game.

The back room was just as packed, however spaces had been cleared near the various displays, and it was by the Dungeon Dice Monsters stand that they found Duke Devlin, fiddling with the dice in his ear, and chatting to a group of girls. Naturally, they were all were hanging on his every word.

"Excuse me ladies," he gave them all a wink, before shifting over to the small group. The girls all giggled before dissipating among the masses.

"Hey guys," Duke greeted. "You've come to check out my masterpiece?"

Tristan snorted. "It might be a bestselling game, but it's not as popular as Duel Monsters." He held up his hands as Duke gave him a mock glare. "Just being honest!"

"I think it looks like fun," Harry admitted. From the video footage of the Dungeon Dice Monsters games being played, it looked more like a luck based game than the strategy game that Duel Monsters was. This, he could get on better with.

Tea elbowed Tristan for being rude, and Serenity showed him the card she had purchased. Hermione was examining the basics of Dungeon Dice Monsters, and Ron began to examine the similarities between the game and Duel Monsters (of which there were apparently very many).

"Excuse me. Pardon me...Oh I'm so sorry!"

Harry recognised the soft spoken voice of their friend just as Ryou's thin frame slipped between two bodies. He had a serious look on his face, but he managed a smile at the sight of his friends.

"Hey guys," he smiled. "Yugi sent me down to find you all."

"Hey, umm..." Ron glanced anxiously around. "Won't you get mobbed by fans if you stay here too long?"

"It's not for long," Ryou assured them. "Yugi says we're going to distract the aurors –" he glanced over his shoulder where, like magic, the two aurors had appeared lurking in the doorway to the Dealers Room. " – and then I think the plan is to head out and get an early dinner before the restaurants fill up. We'll talk about our research there."

"Sounds good to me," Hermione nodded. "I've got all my research with me." She hefted the shoulder bag that she had been carrying since she had got up that morning.

"But how do you distract the aurors?" Harry asked curiously, as Ryou fished in his pocket for his phone. He ignored Harry's question and pressed a few buttons.

"Malik," he said, reading the text message with a frown. "'_P.S. You're the bait.'_"

His confusion was short lived, as with a high pitched shriek, no less than twenty girls came swarming from the other side of the room, all with their arms outstretched, and mad sparkles in their eyes.

"Oh cripes!" Ryou spluttered, before vanishing into the crowd, the fangirls on his tail like the hounds of hell.

"...wow." Ron muttered. "Wish I could do that."

Hermione huffed in irritation, and Harry snickered quietly into his hand.

OOO

The fans were still surging in and out of the expo room when Adrian Bakura entered. He scanned the shuffling crowd for his son, but saw no mop of white hair. Nor could he see the platinum blonde of his best friend, though he did see several people who had tried to copy the hairstyle of the short purple-eyed duellist that Ryou also hung round with.

The archaeologist shook his head – he'd watched all the duels patiently today and still did not really understand any of it. He and Ryou had gone to lunch together, but it had been awkward and they had barely spoken. Ryou had tried to broach the subject of the previous night – his apparent 'other half' – but Adrian had swiftly cut the conversation. He was not ready to have it yet. He was still trying to take it all in.

Scanning the room once more and utterly puzzled as to the whereabouts of his offspring, he retreated slightly to allow two tall men in black to exit. They were talking in hushed voices, and Adrian did a small double take when he heard the words "Mutou, Bakura and Ishtar".

Turning, Adrian mumbled an apology as he smacked into another person who had dyed his hair to look like Yugi's. He sidestepped them, and locked his eyes onto the two black figures. Quickly he hurried after them as they exited the function room still talking in hushed voices.

As he pushed his way towards the black robes, there was a hysterical scream from behind him, and the archaeologist's heart raced – ever since his accident the year previously, he did not appreciate sudden loud noises. As he turned he was alarmed to see a flood of about fifty young women and girls surging through the door like a tidal wave. Some of them brandished cameras, ribbons, and even make up brushes.

Uncertain of the nature of this charge, and not liking the maniacal looks in their eyes, Adrian flattened himself against the wall of the room, just as the fangirls stampeded at top speed out of the door past him. He remained with his spine glued to the wall for a further ten seconds, staring at the destruction left in their wake. A few people who had not ducked out of the way in time, were nursing bruised toes, or kicked shins, and a few lay on the floor with shoe marks on their faces.

"These muggles are crazy!" Adrian jumped as he realised that one of the men in black robes was peeling himself off the floor. His companion offered him a flustered arm, and Adrian, seeing his chance, hurried forward to assist. The man brushed him off abruptly.

"I'm fine. Don't concern yourself with me."

"I'd still go see a doctor," Adrian suggested. He could already tell from the way that the man was stooping that he had probably taken a shoe to the kidneys. Now that he was up close, Adrian could see that the man was wearing the most peculiar assortment of clothes beneath his cloak – he wore a large pair of boating shorts, with a Hawaiian style shirt in a violent shade of pink, with a tailored waistcoat over the top. Though Adrian had seen plenty of odd clothing styles at this tournament, this man did not strike him as the kind of fanatic to dress up for a card game competition. He seemed far too level headed.

"He'll be fine," his companion (similarly dressed, only in a green Hawaiian shirt and a grey cardigan) had a carefully controlled voice with a slightly naivety to it. "Just took him by surprise. Come on Adams. I think you need a drink. I'm sure they cannot have gone far."

Seeing them attempting to slip away, Adrian opened his mouth.

"Did I hear you say you were looking for the top duellists? Bakura, Ishtar and Mutou?"

Both men stopped dead, and turned in unison to look at him.

"Who's asking?" the man who had been trampled had an impatient and demanding voice, but his eyes betrayed a hungry urge to get information.

"Ryou Bakura is my son," Adrian explained. "I've been looking for him as well, but I don't think he is here..."

"He was," the man cut off swiftly. "Those crazy women scared him off."

Adrian frowned. He had not seen Ryou...but then again, if he had a mob of women screaming at him, he'd move fast too.

"You're his father, you say?" the trampled man was looking at him in a calculating fashion now, and Adrian found himself wondering momentarily if this had been a good idea.

"Yes."

"Hmm..." the man sounded thoughtful, before turning to his companion (Adrian thought that the other man looked a little dazed, though he could not blame him given the behaviour of the fangirls). "Dawlish. Go check around the hotel in case they try to escape through a back way. I'll see if I can help Mr. Bakura find his son..."

There was a sudden lightness in Adrian's mind, and he smiled at the man, and followed him into the hotel bar.

OOO

"Okay." Ryou, whose shirt was a little ripped from outrunning his fangirls, stowed his wand back in his pocket. Nobody wanted to tell him that he still had a pink bow tied to the end of his hair – he had been in a terribly foul mood since Malik, Harry, Tristan and a very well timed London taxi had rescued him from the mob and carried him off to dinner. "We're all secure."

Yami nodded in thanks, before turning to Rebecca and Hermione. Malik, Joey, Harry and Ron were also sharing the same table, while the rest of their friends were squished on the next one, eating away at their food. Finding a place that they could be safe from fangirls and the aurors had not been easy, but eventually they had found a large cheerful looking pub, where they had piled in and ordered enough food and drink to make the manager exceedingly happy.

"This was what I found out," Hermione pulled out her copy of _Ancient Magical Games _from her bag, in which she had tucked vast amounts of parchment notes between the pages.

"The book was published sixteen years ago. The author, one Meredith Lebey is Welsh. He was born and raised in Swansea, and he attended Hogwarts…"

"Just like most of the population," Ron muttered. Hermione gave him a quick glare for interrupting her, but continued regardless.

"He graduated, had a desk job at Gringotts for a few years before he was promoted and spent two years in Egypt as a curse breaker."

Yami and Malik sat up straighter in their seats.

"I went through my old texts and managed to get my hands on the official report of what they discovered," Hermione continued. "There wasn't anything big, but a lot of records and descriptions of everyday life around about the time of the Great Gap."

"Right about when Yami would have been on the throne," Ryou summarised. The Pharaoh's face looked grave.

"However," Hermione continued. "None of this information ever made it back to Gringotts. Before they could deliver any of the texts and records, they were all seized. The report says one of the local tribes in the area were responsible…"

"Not likely," Malik shook his head. "I think it was the Tomb Keepers. We would have been the only ones who would have realised the significance of those texts. And if memory serves me correctly, we did have an intake of more ancient documents about eighteen years ago."

"How would you know that?" Harry asked. "You weren't even alive eighteen years ago."

"Part of my upbringing involved memorising all the information about that period of history that we had," Mailk explained. "We also kept detailed records of when the information was recovered, and under what circumstances."

"And this information now?" Yami asked urgently. Above all else, he wanted to be assured that every bit of detail about his rule was safely away from prying eyes.

"Information on everyday life, palace details and magicians would have been kept with the librarian – Oshar," Malik scowled at the man's name. "Anything pertaining to detailed use of the Millennium Items would have stayed with the Ishtars. That's not to say Shadow Games and the Realm never made it on to any of the records with Oshar though. As of now though, all the records are at our house in Luxor. We claimed most of the library when the Tomb Keepers were disbanded."

Yami remembered the locked room that he had felt so drawn too when they had passed through Malik's house in June. He prayed that that information was safe.

"So if Lebey was in Egypt for two years, and the Tomb Keepers were seizing the information, it's a very good chance that he could have met Oshar," Ryou summarised grimly. "Did you find anything else?" he turned back to Hermione. Their friend had a fascinated look on her face from all this talk of history, however she snapped out of it quickly and returned to her notes as soon as the question was asked.

"The only other thing that worried me was that the Department of Mysteries had a certain interest in this case – if only because it's one of the few times that Gringotts has ever failed to turn up proper results from a dig. Also Lebey and Rookwood definitely seem to have met before – Rookwood was one of the people who helped Lebey to get published – before he was put in Azkaban obviously. Apparently he pulled some strings to help him get noticed."

"Possibly in exchange for information," Yami nodded, before turning to Rebecca. The American pulled out her own information, mostly computer printouts.

"It was hard to dig deeply," she admitted. "But I did get lucky and managed to piggyback the police's records, and they had almost everything on Oshar we needed."

"The police?" Malik sat up sharply. "So Oshar's got a record?"

"Yup," Rebecca nodded. "Obviously there's nothing on here from Egypt, since it's out of their jurisdiction, so I've only got his activity since he moved here. He's been living in Britain for almost a year. Immigration has him entering the country last November on a work visa."

"About the time when we came to the Death Eaters attention," Ryou realised. "I reckon they needed more information so they got him to move here."

"It's not like he would have had anything tying him down," Malik muttered, before looking back at Rebecca. "What else?"

"He's been living pretty quietly," Rebecca admitted. "Address is a one bedroom place in this very city. There are only two marks on his record – first was a charge in December for trying to smuggle Egyptian texts into the country upon his arrival."

Yami, Ryou and Malik all chewed their lips. "What happened?"

"The charges were mysteriously dropped," Rebecca said, folding her arms and frowning. "And it was hard to retrieve that file. I had to dig into the system's memory to get it. It's been completely wiped from his record otherwise."

"Charges mysteriously dropped," Ryou repeated. "I'm thinking a Death Eater stepped in and made sure everyone conveniently forgot."

"How has he been living?" Malik asked. "Any connection to the wizarding world? And what about this second charge?"

"His tax forms came back in April listing him as self employed," Rebecca nodded. "I went hunting for his visa application for any more details, and they said the same. But his other conviction was relatively minor – two months ago he was caught driving without insurance. When they took his details down he gave a listed company as his place of work – so presumably in that time he got a job."

"What was the company?" Malik asked.

"An office called Orpington and Lufkin LLP. Finance or something."

Ron's head snapped upright.

"Are you sure about that name?"

The prodigy frowned. "Positive."

The redhead thumped the table.

"I was right! He was heading to the Ministry!" Seeing everyone's confused looks, he decided to elaborate. "Orpington and Lufkin LLP is a cover name for the building used by the Ministry of Magic – it's what the muggleborns put on their tax forms when they work for the Ministry so that nobody gets suspicious about where they're earning their money from."

"Wait..." Yami was frowning. "You're saying Oshar has been working for the Ministry of Magic for two months?"

"But...that's not possible," Hermione insisted. "Oshar is a muggle. The Ministry would realise."

"Would they?" Malik asked. "Tomb Keepers aren't registered on muggle citizenship…the only reason I am is because Ishizu has the right contacts and set them up for me when we started living above ground. If Oshar has no muggle records before England, he could easily pretend he's a foreign wizard."

"And it does make sense," Ryou was saying. "What do you do if your master has mysteriously vanished and you want to gather all the detail on how to beat the ones responsible? You make sure your contacts are safe…and where safer than within the heart of the wizarding community, where the Death Eaters have connections and can keep an eye on you…connections like an auror?"

"Adams," Yami summarised.

"But Oshar has no magic. No wizard magic, and no Shadow magic," Harry argued. "Wizards use their powers for _everything_. It would look strange if he wasn't seen doing the same."

"If it was a low placement job he might not be noticed," Joey spoke up for the first time. Most of the talk of magic had gone over his head, however he knew enough about employment to know that the low men on the system were rarely acknowledged. "Do you think we could get a list of all the Ministry employees somehow and check?"

Hermione and Ron nodded. "Ministry employees are on public record," Hermione admitted. "I can dig them up…though like Ron said yesterday, the aurors come and go quite frequently."

"I doubt he's as high profile as an auror, but that might be useful," Yami nodded. "If Oshar is somehow able to get into the Ministry it might also explain how the Death Eaters received enough combined information to steal the stones."

"I still think there's no way," Hermione admitted.

"It would explain why he was running towards the Ministry yesterday though," Ron admitted, looking thrilled that he had been right about something. "We'll look into it."

"Thanks guys," Malik smiled. "You have no idea how much this has worried me. It makes me feel better knowing that we're doing something about it."

"Well between Oshar and the aurors and the Death Eaters still lurking around, so much for a quiet tournament," Tristan said dryly. The duellists all chuckled.

"Sounds like us wishing for a peaceful June," Ron snorted.

"Speaking of Death Eaters," Harry frowned as something occurred to him. "We know that Voldemort has recruited at tournaments before – the Death Eaters may be doing the same. Are any of the duellists likely to be targeted? Or possibly Death Eaters themselves?"

"Not likely," Rebecca interjected. "I ran background checks on every single one of them when I was cross-referencing Oshar's files. All of them are legitimate continental tournament winners or second place, except obviously Yugi, Kaiba, Ryou and Malik, and the latter two are only here because two competitors dropped out and there were spaces free in the line up."

"And Yugi and Rich boy are obviously the World Championships, so it would be stupid _not _to have them," Joey added.

"Why are there two World Champions anyway?" Ron asked curiously.

"Officially Kaiba never surrendered his title," Yugi explained. "It wasn't up for grabs in our first duel, or in Battle City."

"Yugi's just won so many tournaments and beaten Kaiba so many times, that most consider him the World Champion regardless," Joey finished.

"But if you beat him here..." Harry said.

"Then I'll officially be the only World Champion," Yugi confirmed. "But only if I beat Kaiba. Here, our titles are most definitely up for grabs."

OOO

**A/N: **After this chapter, my story is starting to feel more like a bad crime drama than a fantasy crossover…

The stadium was of my own creation however the size, capacity and initial designs were based somewhat off arenas and stadiums that do exist in real life (such as Lords Cricket Ground and the O2). Most of the locations in London (for example, the Underground stops) thus far have been real life places, except for the hotel, the restaurant, and the stadium.

I apologise for the patchiness of this chapter – this was where my inspiration died about three years ago. So some scenes are three years old, others were written a few months ago, and you can see the difference in my writing style. I will never chunk write again. It just makes the tone too jarring. Chapter 6 will have similar problems, but Chapter 7 was where I started writing after I got over my block, so it should be fine after that. Stick with me guys!


	6. Chapter 6: Shake Up

**A/N: **I am a winner!

Not meaning to toot my own horn, but I am a winner! For the fifth year in a row! And I'm on fire to get things finished! Crossover, ACMSES and my novel are top of my priority list. Nano is awesome and I recommend it to anyone who needs a kickstart!

Oh and totally forgot to mention in my last chapter, but the day of my last update marked my eighth year on fanfiction. Might not sound that impressive, but when you're twenty four, eight years is a huge chunk out of your life.

Bakura: Twenty four, and still talking to your characters...

Mei: Bite me, Bakura!

Oh and wish me luck everyone! I have a belly dancing workshop this coming weekend, and we have a huge group routine. I'll try and get video footage up if I can.

Bakura: I don't need to do that disclaimer again, do I? Its pretty obvious you don't own any of us...although after reading some of your yaoi I really wish you did!

Mei: I can dream. Don't forget to review everyone!

OOO

**Chapter 6: Shake Up**

The Seal glowed brightly on the dirty floor of the Riddle House. Voldemort paced the room, surveying it with a contemplative eye. The magic rippled and swirled around the cursed symbol on the ground, like a current of energy. He raised a hand to touch the boundary of the circle. It pulsed and seemed to shrink away slightly like an animal flinching from a cold touch. The stones on the floor glowed defensively. After so long in the Department of Mysteries, the magic coming through them was eager to play, and did not want this opportunity taken away.

It seemed to Voldemort, the more he watched it, the more he understood just how much of a living creature this magic was. He still struggled to remind himself of this fact from time to time – the fact that had been his downfall in the past. His whole life he had considered magic a gift he was born with, like some priceless tool passed down to him from generation to generation, all the way back to his noble descendant, Salazar Slytherin.

Never before had he considered that such powers could be sentient – let alone have the intelligence to control him without even realising. He had been a fool the first time he had used the stone, believing that he could just use it for his own benefit without repercussions. The Orichalcos proved itself to be a cunning and devious foe, as well as an ally.

He wondered idly whether he was making a mistake, using this powerful magic again. But he banished this thought quickly. He was determined that the Orichalcos would have no hold over him again. He was much wiser now, and he would second guess every action he made to check that he was in no danger of winding up with the same unpleasant fate he had before.

Besides, he could hardly lose his greatest source of power in the face of his new ally – for want of a better term. The Dark One was sitting next to the Seal, his eyes closed, tendrils of Shadow Magic creeping from his body and weaving themselves into the Seal, giving the green glow a purplish tinge. No, that would do Voldemort no good at all. Whether he liked it or not, he owed this man a debt for getting him out of the Shadow Realm. If he wanted his powers restored to him, he would have to assist, and for that, he needed the Orichalcos.

The set up was fairly simple – or how the Dark One explained it anyway. The souls would be targeted by the Orichalcos, and drawn into the Seal. From there it was the Dark One's job to send them to the Shadow Realm – presumably what he was attempting to do to the Seal right now. This struck Voldemort as strange, as he had previously though the two magic's incompatible.

He broached this question now, causing the Dark One to shoot him an annoyed glare – clearly he did not like being interrupted while he was working.

"I am not forcing the two magics to work together," he stated. "I am using them as separate entities."

Seeing his point was not getting across, the Dark one sighed. "Souls need a channel of energy to follow in order to go anywhere. Think of the flow of magic like a railway line – the Orichalcos is one line, getting the souls from point A to point B. My Shadow Magic shall serve as the line getting them from point B to point C, their ultimate destination – the Shadow Realm."

If Voldemort had eyebrows, he would have raised them. "But how to you connect the two channels of magic together? The souls still need a channel to flow for them to switch tracks."

"That's where I come in," the Dark One nodded. "In order for my powers to grow, I have to be the one to send the souls to the Shadow Realm myself. So I shall serve as the connecting channel between the two magics." He smirked in amusement. "I am the railway station, if you will."

He stood tall and placed his hands on the side of the Seal. Surprisingly it did not force him away, as most people were when they came into contact with it. The purplish hue of the Shadow Realm seeped onto the Seal where he touched it, like an ugly looking bruise. The Orichalcos Stones on the ground reacted brightly, but did not force him away.

"Ready when you are," he invited. Voldemort drew his wand with one hand and gripped the Orichalcos stone around his neck in the other. After that explanation, he could not help but hope that the process would overwhelm the Dark One's body, and destroy him. He doubted that would happen though – he seemed to have thought this through too well to allow any chance of error.

Something also told Voldemort, that he would ultimately live to regret this decision.

OOO

The Matriarch sighed and fiddled with a stray strand of her messy dark hair. She felt restless, as though there was something she should be doing or preparing for, but she had forgotten what.

Sighing, she got lightly to her feet, and walked quickly to where she was sure she would find her best friend. There was a hole in the fabric of the dominion, which sat in the realm like a giant pond. It was a place where the fabric of this realm was thin, and brushed gently with the Real World. They could not pass through or touch it, but they could see glimpses of the living if they wished. It had provided much solace for the dead as they waiting for their loved ones, and it was here she knew she would find the one she sought.

Sure enough, the older girl was sitting with her knees pressed under her chin, watching reality pass by in the gap. She watched as a familiar head of white hair lay undisturbed, indistinguishable from the crisp white pillowcase. The Matriarch sighed and knelt beside her friend, who jumped. She had not noticed her approach.

"How is he?"

There was a pause, as both of them observed the sleeping figure. The older looking girl sighed.

"Better...father isn't making life any easier though."

She scowled, and the Matriarch patted her shoulder gently.

"Fathers often don't make things easy," she admitted, remembering the disappointment in her own father's eyes whenever he looked at his daughters and the strange boy who was not his son. "But they do love us."

The girl sighed. "You're right, I suppose. I just wish that big brother knew that...he thinks the only thing father sees in him is mother."

Glancing between the two siblings, one living one dead, the Matriarch could see just what she meant, and she felt a familiar rush of affection for them both.

The world was suddenly pierced by a blinding green light, causing both girls to jump and back away from their viewing space. They did not have to look far for the cause. The world had taken on a dark and malicious hue, and the strangest sensation was coming from the gap between worlds. Their view of the living had disappeared, and a green glow emitted from the space, pulsing like a heartbeat.

"Aki..." the taller of the two girls swallowed, as she addressed the Matriarch. She did not have to say anything though. Whatever this force was, they could both feel that its intent was not benign. The Matriarch seized her friend's hand tightly, sensing her fear.

"Get back Amane!"

Her advice was useless – the force was all around then, smothering them in its grasp, and infusing everyone nearby with fear that made it impossible not to stare in horror. Fellow spirits nearby wailed and screamed in fear as they were drawn to the gap between worlds, pulled by some strong gravity that none of them could resist.

"What is it?!" Amane was petrified, as the screaming around them intensified in pitch. Akila could not answer, as the world faded away around them both. Everything was slowly being blotted away, even the green glow, slowly being replaced by blossoming clouds of purple shadow. A sickening sensation rose around her, along with the indescribable feeling of being pulled towards something she did not want to go to.

"Akila!" Amane's grasp vanished as she was swallowed by the darkness. And Akila knew that she was dying again – for only once had she ever felt this sensation before. She'd felt it the moment she had been pushed into the cauldron at Kul Elna.

Her own screams were ripped from her throat to join the ones in her head, as she finally gave into her fear.

"Big brother! Help us!"

OOO

The sudden ache woke Yugi from a deep sleep. He felt as though someone had punched him hard across the face, and his fingers touched the comforting weight of the Puzzle just as the pain receded. Yami was sluggish, but his partner's worry was quickly shaking that off, as he quickly inquired after Yugi's health. The startled moan from Tea, made Yugi realise that he had cried out loudly in pain as he woke.

"Yugi?" Tea asked. "Are you okay?"

Yugi did not answer, because he knew things were not okay. He did not know what had gone wrong, but he knew that somewhere, something horrible had just happened.

As soon as he thought it, the world began to tremble. The lampshade swung drunkenly, and the alarm clock, telephone and glass of water on the bedside table slid onto the floor like someone had just swept a hand across the surface. On the bed across from him, Tea's eyes went wide.

"Earthquake!"

Yami materialised at the window, surveying up and down the street, as Yugi took Tea's hand and pulled her under the desk. She curled up as tight as she could and the King of Games hugged her close, and prayed that this would not last for long.

At the window, the Pharaoh watched the sky in horror, staring hard at something that no mortal eyes could see, but which he could discern with terrible clarity.

"The Shadows are feasting," he muttered, before vanishing back to the Puzzle to comfort Yugi's anxious mind.

OOO

The noise was atrocious.

Ishizu was stunned as she lay in her bed, struggling to register just why the world appeared to be shaking in such a manner. The clattering of objects falling off shelves and tables were playing a symphony of chaos into her ears, backed by the rumbling of the earth itself. The fresh cotton bedsheets she lay upon were quickly becoming covered in dust. Then she heard Odion's panicked voice at her doorway, and the confusion seemed to clear slightly.

"Ishizu, it's an earthquake!"

Calm mind back in place, and her memories of earthquake safety drills from their time in Japan kicking into gear, Ishizu scrambled over the bits of plaster and brick that were already falling from the ceiling, and crouched under her desk. Odion stood in the doorway, his hands braced on the wooden frame as the world continued to thunder.

OOO

Never once had the foundations of Hogwarts rumbled like this. And yet now, every staff member was wondering in terror if the building would survive to see the sunrise. Never in its history, had the school been in an earthquake – why would it? Britain rarely had them, and any that did occur were weak – certainly not enough to make the building rattle like a dusty old skeleton.

The headmaster of the school drew his wand, and uttered a series of spells designed to strengthen the building's infrastructure, and he could tell from the way the tremors were slowly becoming less violent, that the other teachers had started reinforcing the castle too.

The quake barely lasted a minute, and Albus Dumbledore knew that this was a blessing. He wondered how much of the surrounding area had been damaged, before sweeping from his office to see to the safety of his staff.

OOO

"..._no full account of the extent of the quakes, but several major cities, including Tokyo, San Francisco, Cairo and Edinburgh have ground to a halt over the course of the last twelve hours..."_

Yugi turned his head away from the widescreen in the hotel restaurant, and went back to picking at his toast. The first thing he had done that morning upon hearing the news had been to call his grandfather and make sure he was okay. Solomon was perfectly fine; having spent the entire quake hidden beneath a table, and the shop was still standing. Most of the city had lost power, but the water and gas lines were still intact for the most part. Thus Solomon had spent the whole afternoon and most of the evening tidying up the mess by candlelight.

The news reports were depressing and slightly horrifying, and yet Yugi was finding it hard not to listen to it. Several religious groups were referring to the previous night as the end of the world, but most were taking a more logical approach to it – the quakes had lasted less than thirty seconds, and had happened in Japan, Egypt, California and Scotland. Japan and California were on plate boundaries and had a history of shaky tectonics, and Egypt wasn't too far from one either – those three were easily accounted for and most of the public were being reassured by scientists that this was probably just a one off incident.

Scotland and northern England were the more complicated issues. They were nowhere near any sort of tectonic activity. England did have a history of earthquakes, but it was a small history, and not nearly as dangerous as most other places in the world. And regular quakes did not come with that terrible sense of _wrongness,_ which had caused Yami to spend all morning shut up in his soul room thinking.

Yugi didn't like it when his dark started thinking like this. It often meant that the world was about to end again.

Absently, he had doodled a rough sketch of the world on his paper napkin, and was now dotting all the places that had reported serious damage the previous night. He had a sinking feeling in his stomach that somehow he was related to these events – he had visited all the locations affected last night at one point or another in his life – it couldn't just be a coincidence. His pen settled over northern England, a large blue splodge of ink bleeding into the napkin.

"It might not have anything to do with us, you know."

Trust Tea to know what he was thinking. Yugi placed his pen on the table and settled back against his chair. Tea looked as anxious as he felt – she too had spent most of the morning checking that her parents were okay.

"Tea..." Yugi began, but the brunette cut him off.

"Don't start Yugi. You're just thinking that because we happen to know all these places, and because we're at a tournament means something will go wrong."

"But it always does," Yugi interjected. "Something always goes wrong when we're at a tournament, and it's always related to us – "

"The KC Championships wasn't," Joey interjected, smearing jam onto his toast. "That was all Kaiba and Sigfreak."

"We still get involved in it somehow though," Yugi pointed out, but he was thinking about Tea's statement. Maybe he was being paranoid, but no one could really blame him.

Everyone's heads rose, as Malik appeared from the buffet table, clutching a plate that had barely any food on it. He didn't look well at all. His face was pale, there were black circles under his eyes, and Yugi was convinced that something horrible must have happened for him to be in such a state.

"They're fine," Malik surprised him with his response. "Shaken, but unhurt. They're at the museum helping out. Apparently some of the artefacts and bits of the building were damaged – no surprise really, they were never built to withstand earthquakes. More for sandstorms..."

He was babbling, but Yugi didn't care. It was a relief to know that Ishizu and Odion were fine, but Malik still looked worried. Yugi guessed he hadn't slept well – none of them had really.

"Hey guys."

Yugi looked over to see Mokuba slipping quietly into the seat next to him. The raven haired teen stifled a yawn as he reached for Yugi's untouched glass of orange juice.

"Hey Mokuba," Tea tried to smile, but it came off looking exhausted.

"Where is your brother?" Yugi asked, looking around for the tall billionaire that was his rival. Mokuba pulled a face.

"Upstairs, sorting out the company. He has been all night. Nothing was too badly damaged in the quake, but of course there are our stocks to consider."

The last few words were tinged with annoyance, and Yugi got the distinct impression that they had been pulled straight from the elder Kaiba's mouth.

Filing in like the last in the line of bad news, was Ryou. He looked just as bad as Malik, though unlike the Egyptian, who just looked as though he were going to be sick, Ryou looked as though he were on the verge of tears.

"Did you find him?" Malik asked, though from the look on his face he already knew the answer. Ryou shook his head, his shaking hands going for the teapot. Yugi exchanged glances with Tea to see if she was following any of this, but she just looked as lost as he was.

"Who were you looking for?" Yugi asked urgently. "Who's missing? Bakura?"

Even as he asked this, he could see the Millennium Ring around his friend's neck and knew this couldn't be the case.

Ryou shook his head. "No, my Dad is gone."

"Ry, you said he didn't come back last night," Malik reminded him with a gentle squeeze of his hand. "Maybe he stayed somewhere else."

Ryou ran a hand through his hair. "I've tried every hotel in the area, and any of his work contacts that live here. No one has seen him."

"What about his mobile?" Yugi asked.

"Switched off," Ryou reported glumly, taking a sip of tea and pulling a face as he realised he had forgotten to add the milk.

"Did anyone call Harry, Ron and Hermione?" Yugi asked suddenly.

"None of them have mobile phones," Malik reminded him. "And the Leaky Cauldron doesn't have a landline either."

"I'd like to see that pub sometime," Mokuba put in idly. "It sounds cool." He turned to Ryou, who was fiddling with the sugar cubes. "Ryou if you want, I can ask Seto to try and trace your father's phone?" he offered. "Even if it's switched off it'll still be sending a signal."

Ryou was quiet, his face downcast, and Yugi wondered if his friend had finally succumbed to tears. When he looked up however, his eyes had narrowed and turned into a bloody shade of red.

"That won't be necessary," Bakura assured him. "He'll turn up. I sent Ryou to get some sleep before the tournament." He added, seeing the surprised looks on everyone's faces.

"...Bakura?" Mokuba had not been around the spirits that much, especially Bakura, and still had trouble telling them apart from their hosts.

"The one and only," Bakura replied, as Yami took over from Yugi, instructing his hikari to rest for a while too.

"Thank the Gods for small miracles," the Pharaoh muttered, shaking more salt onto Yugi's abandoned scrambled eggs. Bakura gave him a look.

"I assure you Pharaoh, there is nothing small about me," he smirked wickedly. "In any sense," he added, stealing a sausage from Mokuba's plate. The teen scowled, and to everyone's surprise, yanked it back out of the thief's hand.

"Get your own," he muttered.

OOO

Not even the minor natural disaster that had occurred the previous evening could stop the World Championships. As nothing in London had been affected, the matches continued as soon as possible, and the afternoon was spent finishing off round one. The tournament organisers acted as though nothing had happened, though Yugi noticed that Pegasus looked a little tense as he swept around the corridors, as if he knew something was not entirely right. Kaiba too, had a stressed look about him, but Yugi knew that he was anxious for the state of his company, and hated that in the midst of a crisis, he was not present to steer Kaiba Corp through it.

The second half of round one was a much quieter affair – even the matches seemed less dramatic, though the fans were no less loud and enthusiastic. First up was Joey against the obnoxious Oceania Champion, Cody Morris. Yugi had never met him, but he remembered hearing that he was the one who had exchanged words with Hermione, Mai and Rebecca the day before, and he instantly disliked him, and had spent all morning restraining Joey from throttling him each time he made eyes at Mai in the VIP box. It was no surprise therefore that the blonde duellist was being extra mouthy that day.

Obnoxious though he may have been, Cody proved quickly that he hadn't earned his title on a fluke. He seemed to emulate Kaiba to some degree, his key cards being Crush Card Virus and Deck Devastation Virus, which quickly made short work of most of Joey's monsters. His choice of deck, though effective, did not make him very popular with the majority of the audience, and most of them spent the entire duel booing his every move, and praying that Joey's luck would hold out – which it did of course. As Joey got down to his last few cards, he managed to special summon Jinzo back from his graveyard, and negate the deadly trap cards. From there, most of Cody's strategy had crumbled around him. Joey left the arena a winner, with Cody fuming and the crowd cheering in his wake.

"That was awesome man!" Tristan told his best friend as he appeared in the VIP box, grinning in light of his victory.

"Of course," Joey allowed himself to smirk. "What did you expect, when you're dealing with a champion, like me?" He punched the air. "I'm on a roll here!"

Yugi said Mai roll her eyes, but smile none the less, and Yugi knew she was itching to face Joey herself – a chance for a fair duel, on even ground, no evil magic or broken cards. Before she could attempt to knock his ego down, there was a scoff behind them all.

"Please, Wheeler. The only thing you're on is the path to certain defeat."

"Watch it Rich Boy!" Joey barked, finding himself in a hold by Tristan and Mai.

Yugi turned around in his seat to get a good look at his rival – Kaiba had been cool and distant over the past few days, projecting the same unapproachable air as he always did. However, as Kaiba insults went, the previous one had been pretty mild. Something was on the CEO's mind, that was for sure.

"Hey guys," Malik appeared by Yugi's side. He looked a little healthier than he had that morning, for which Yugi was grateful. It disturbed him to see Malik, who was normally so upbeat and alive, look so down and defeated. "Has anyone seen Ryou?"

"I thought he was with you?" Yugi stated.

"He was," Malik nodded. "Then I went to use the bathroom and he had vanished when I got back. I assumed he had come back here."

"He's the duel after this," Joey pointed out, as the screens flashed up the next competitors (Leon Von Schroeder and Riley King). "Maybe he went downstairs to prepare."

Malik chewed on his lip. "I hope so…I've just got this really bad feeling."

"Like something is about to go wrong?" Yugi asked, after prompting from Yami. They had both been feeling the same thing. "Yami and I have been feeling it too."

"I thought that was just the scallops from last night…" Joey frowned. "You saying there's something freaky going on here?"

"Close your eyes and focus for a minute Joey," Malik invited. "We can all feel it – even Pegasus and Kaiba can sense something is up, if you look at them carefully enough."

Joey would have replied that he had no desire to look that closely at either of them, but he did as Malik said and closed his eyes for a second. Maybe it was because he felt so good right now, but he couldn't feel anything…

Except…he reached for his pocket and touched his side deck, where the Claw of Hermos currently rested, and felt a small jolt of _wrongness._

"Yeah…I get what you mean…"

He turned his head towards his friends, focusing on Tristan, who was chatting happily with Serenity, and Mai, who was watching the next competitors enter the arena, closely. And like magic, the feeling of wrongness seemed to triple, and Joey felt uneasy for the first time since entering the VIP box that day.

"_Man I hope we're all wrong about this…"_

OOO

Adrian Bakura approached the VIP box…and turned around and started walking in the other direction. He had been doing this for the better part of past hour, and he was getting very bored. And the longer he stayed here, the longer he risked getting caught by his son, or the Egyptian kid who was his friend – or worse, his son's demonic looking alter ego.

A twitch worked its way into his jaw – it wasn't right that he should be nervous about seeing his own kid. He knew that. He had always known this. But it didn't stop him wishing he were anywhere but here. He had thought he had known everything he needed to know about Ryou – that his son would never hide anything from the only family he had left. But he knew now he was wrong, and that he was not in fact, the only family Ryou had left. Somehow, without him even knowing, he had managed to make a new family of his own.

And here, where they played this funny card game that he didn't understand, his son was truly happy. He didn't need a father anymore, because he had got used to life without one. He had friends to take his place, and a guardian who was closer to him than any other person could possibly get…

The archaeologist shook his head. His mind still couldn't go there. He could accept the existence of magic – heck his late wife had believed in it, and even dabbled in the occult, but he hadn't minded because it hadn't affected him. He could even find it in him to believe in the existence of a secret magical world that kept themselves separate from normal people. It affected Ryou, sure, but it didn't affect him. It was just there.

Those men last night – from the Ministry, had wanted to know about his son and his friends. Adrian rubbed his head – most of the conversation was a blur, like a damp watercolour painting that someone had wiped a rag over and smeared. He couldn't recall any details about what he had told them, but one thing he did remember. He had realised over the course of the conversation, just how little he knew about his son. He didn't know anything about his school, his powers, or his new friends. He had never bothered to ask.

"Dad?"

His head turned to the right, where his son now stood, relief evident on every inch of his face, and Adrian's heart twisted. He looked so much like his mother…

"I'm so glad you're alright!"

Thin arms were squeezing his waist, just like Ryou and Amane had when they were kids and wanted him to tell them a story about Egypt. Ryou hadn't hugged him like this for years.

"Ryou…" his words failed him, as he hugged his son back. "I'm so sorry…"

Ryou was muttering something –reassurance perhaps, but Adrian was struck by something else – he could not quite seem to remember what he was apologising for, but he had the most horrible feeling that he had done something not worthy of forgiveness.

OOO

"And the winner is, Seto Kaiba!"

Applause, whistling and wild fangirl cheering raced around the stadium, and Seto Kaiba just smirked. Next to Yugi, the loudest cheering was coming from Mokuba.

"Way to go Seto!"

"No surprises there," Joey was still ticked off at the CEO for his earlier remark, however there was some kind of satisfaction on his face at seeing Kaiba succeed.

"Angling to duel Kaiba yourself, hey bro?" Tristan asked. Joey smirked.

"Yup. Providing I win my next match –"

"Against Leon," Tristan reminded him. "Which won't be easy – he's improved loads since we last saw him."

Yugi had to agree. He had been most impressed by Leon's duelling earlier that day. The young man had vastly improved since the KC Championships, and from the sounds of it, Leon had gained a lot of confidence over the last year, as well as a more understanding relationship with his older brother.

"- and Rich Boy wins his next match," Joey continued.

"Which he will," Mokuba interjected proudly. Joey twitched.

"_If_ that's the case," he said firmly. "Then I'll be facing him in the semi-finals."

Yugi was watching the field carefully as Kaiba and Hana returned to the VIP box, Hana sinking into a chair at the back between Ali and Riley with a disappointed pout on her face. Kaiba just sauntered into the seat next to his brother and accepted praise with a smug look.

Who Kaiba was up against in the quarter finals would be determined by the match, and Yugi was anxious. He hadn't seen Malik all through the previous two matches, as the blonde had been off searching for Ryou. Yugi only hoped that the fact he hadn't come back meant that he had found their white haired friend and was providing him with some support before his match.

"So who's Ryou up against?" Tea asked. Yugi saw her looking at him intently, and he knew she had read the worry on his face and was trying to distract him. He opened his mouth to reply, but Rebecca beat him to it.

"Ethan Lewis – he's the North American runner up."

Tea frowned. "So you've faced him before, Rebecca? What's he like?"

"Really tough," the prodigy nodded. "Runs a Dark World deck. Ryou will have his work cut out for him – most of the cards he uses to discard his fiends will only help Ethan's deck too."

Yugi winced – what Rebecca said was true, as most of Ryou's deck revolved around discarding his fiends to the graveyard to activate their effects. However he was sure his friend would be okay – he had Bakura with him after all, and the spirit of the Ring was a very vicious duellist, as they all knew from experience.

As he thought this, Malik slipped silently back into his seat, and immediately began performing some sort of nervous fidget. The blonde Egyptian hadn't been still all day, and Yugi could tell without asking that he hadn't found Ryou.

They did not have far to look however – striding out into the stadium to loud cheering and screaming fangirls, was Ryou, who's embarrassed blush was still visible from all the way up in the VIP box. Yugi felt himself relax immediately.

"He made it," he said, and as soon as he said it, Malik seemed to accept that his eyes were not lying to him, and became calm immediately, settling back into his seat and smiling.

"He's going to win," the Egyptian stated. "I can feel it!"

Despite Malik's confidence, it was touch and go for a long time – Bakura took over as soon as the duel began, and immediately got off to a bad start by playing Card Destruction. Though it filled his graveyard with fiends for his strategy, it also made Ethan discard three Dark World monsters (Brron, Broww and Goldd) which were immediately special summoned to his side of the field due to their effects. Under any other circumstances, the look on the thief king's face as he realised his mistake would have been hilarious, but any humour in the situation died pretty quickly as Ethan took control and pounded away at Bakura's life points until they were in triple digits, leering across the field and cackling madly all the while.

Fortunately this was not a frightened teenager he was facing, but Bakura. And no amount of creepy theatrics could make Bakura distracted or afraid. A lucky draw of Dark Necrofear brought Dark Sanctuary out quickly, and the thief king took a huge amount of pleasure each time Ethan yelled in frustration as his coin tosses failed or he ran headfirst into Spirit Shield. Finally, despite having his biggest and nastiest monster Reign-Beaux on the field, Ethan ended up wiping his own life points out thanks to Dark Sanctuary's effect and a well-timed Dark Spirit of the Silent. He left the field cursing angrily and leaving a smug Bakura to preen and soak up the applause.

OOO

Down in the Dark Magician section, Harry applauded loudly as their white haired friend sauntered off the pitch with his head held high. Ron, who had spent most of the match shrieking each time a spirit flew too close to his seat, was trying to make up his manliness now, cheering as loudly as he could and whistling. As the master of ceremonies announced through the din that that was the conclusion of round one, the screens faded and the order of duelling for the next day flashed up for all to see.

"Ooo! Becky and Yugi are up first!" Hermione said, finding the blank back page of her guide and jotting down the order of matches. "And Malik's up against Mai after that..."

Ron shorted. "Good luck to Rebecca, but she doesn't have a prayer against Yugi."

"How can you say that after her match yesterday?" Hermione's hands were on her hips and she was throwing Ron a look that was half condescending and half exasperated. "Becky is brilliant, and Yugi can't win all the time."

"Uh, yes he can," Ron nodded, turning and spying somebody in the row behind him getting to their feet. "Hey kid. Does Yugi ever lose?"

The boy, who wore an official World Championship t-shirt and a dribble of ketchup on his chin, shook his head furiously. "Of course not! He's the King of Games! He never loses!"

"Thank you," Ron grinned, positive that he had made his point. Hermione huffed.

"Alright Ronald," her tone of voice conveyed nothing but confidence and self-assurance. "Five galleons on Rebecca winning tomorrow."

Ron only chuckled. "Your funeral 'Mione," he said good naturedly.

"Guess that leaves me to keep the bet..." Harry shrugged, as they began to meander their way up the steps and towards the VIP box. It was half empty when they arrived, and a grinning Malik was the first to see them.

"Hey hey! Round two here we come!"

He looked cheerful, in a complete contrast to the morose look on his face when they had seen him that morning, and Harry was grateful – it never felt right when Malik was depressed. He was usually so upbeat. Everyone else waved or nodded at them in greeting.

"Hey guys," Despite Yugi's smile, Harry knew he was worried. He had that look in his eyes that reminded him of the Pharaoh. "We were going to walk down the Leaky Cauldron for an early dinner before it gets too busy. You joining us?"

"Sure," Harry nodded.

"Great! What's the food like at this place?" Joey asked.

"Trust you to think with your stomach..." Tea muttered.

"Well if we're going, can you guys wait for me while I use the little boys room?" Malik asked.

"Thanks for sharing," Hermione wrinkled her nose, as Harry quickly bolted after his Egyptian friend, followed closely by Joey.

"Hey lay off him," he heard Ron saying as they left. "We've all been sitting watching matches all day. No time for bathroom breaks."

"I did," Hermione reminded him.

"Hermione," and Harry could just picture Ron shaking his head at this very moment. "You don't get up in the middle of a match to go to the bathroom. That's when all the good stuff happens..."

"No Ron, that's when you avoid all the queues."

Harry rolled his eyes, and he could see Malik doing the same as they hurried down the corridor. Even Joey had a grin on his face.

"So how long have they been going out?" he asked.

Harry almost tripped over his own feet. "Umm...they're not, actually."

"Seriously?" Joey's eyebrows arched. "Because I would have staked my Red Eyes that they were a couple. I mean, they argue like one."

Malik gave a laugh. "Well there you go Harry. Even Joey, one of the densest men ever, noticed it. If that's not endorsement I don't know what is."

"Hey, shut up!" Joey took a swipe at Malik's head. The Egyptian boy ducked, laughing.

"Oh come on, I'm only teasing."

"Hey I get your teasing all the time," Joey objected. "Tease Harry."

"Wha?!" Harry spluttered. "Leave me out of this!"

"Not much to tease about there," Malik shrugged. "I mean, we all know he's hung up on Ron's sister-"

"Malik!" Harry yelped.

"-but he doesn't do anything about it."

"That so?" Joey turned his head, and Harry had the sudden feeling that he was being judged. "Don't wanna risk hitting on your best friend's little sister, right?"

Harry squirmed and suddenly wished that the bathrooms were closer.

"Right?"

"...yeah I guess..."

Malik crowed in triumph at the closest thing to a confession he was ever going to get, and Joey put on a smile.

"Well as a big brother myself, lemme give you some advice, man."

Curious (and eager, despite how much he tried to tell himself otherwise) Harry tilted his head towards Joey. The blonde leaned in and spoke in a firm voice that had a hint of threat in it.

"Give. It. Up."

With a wheezing noise, Malik doubled over with laughed, and Harry gave up on the bathrooms and began praying instead for the floor to swallow him up. He took a few cautious steps away from Joey, wondering suddenly if he and Ron were in league together.

"Don't worry Harry," Malik said, once he had calmed down. "Joey has protective big brother as a default setting. You should see him when Tristan and Duke start hitting on Serenity."

"Hey, you wanna add yourself to my list, Malik?" Joey waved his fist in what was clearly supposed to be a threat. Malik just snorted at him and darted off towards the bathroom before Joey could take a swing.

"Punk..." Joey grumbled. "And he doesn't have anyone I can tease him about. So unfair..."

"Anyone?" Harry asked. Joey shook his head. "Not ever?"

"Nope," the blonde shook his head again. "Not really surprising I guess – between living underground and then going off running a group of card thieves and trying to kill the Pharaoh, it probably didn't leave much time for dating."

Harry blinked stupefied. "...he did _what_?!"

"Besides," Joey carried on as though he had not said anything shocking. "I'm about sixty percent sure he's gay."

He pushed his way into the men's bathroom before Harry could ask anymore.

The room was devoid of people, and Malik had already vanished into one of the stalls. Needing a moment to run the information over in his head, Harry hurried to lock himself behind one of the doors and run his mind over what Joey had said.

He knew Malik had a weird background – even weirder by magic standards. He had shared a room with him for just under a year, but he knew that there were a few things you did not ask about, such as his father, or his life underground. He did not know the exact circumstances behind Malik's childhood, only that his family had been guarding some big secret from Ancient Egypt that had something to do with Yami.

But he had never ever heard anything that gave the impression that Malik had once been a bad guy. Sure, he'd known that Bakura hated Yami – everyone and their dog knew that, though he seemed to be a bit more mellow now. But he had never pictured Malik as an enemy, nor had any of the others ever given any indication that Malik had ever been anything but a friend to them. He tried to picture Malik as a ruthless villain who would want to kill Yugi and Yami, but even when he screwed his eyes closed, he just could not see it.

The sounds of the next door toilet flushing jerked him out his thoughts. He could not picture it. But if it was indeed true, and Malik had been a bad guy once upon a time, what did that say about Harry? How well did he really know him? Indeed, could he even trust him? With a horrible shudder, he remembered the flashbacks they had had under the influence of the Orichalcos, and the little they had seen of Malik's own dark side – it had only been a brief glimpse, but the blood on the walls and the mutilation was something that Harry found hard to forget.

Another toilet flushed, and he broke off shaking his head. What on earth was the matter with him? Whatever Malik or his dark side may or may not have done in his past, clearly the others had forgiven him. Harry winced as he realised that he had already had this lesson, when they had found out about the Pharaoh playing the Seal of Orichalcos. Yugi and the others had forgiven him, and obviously they had got over whatever Malik had done.

So that was that, Harry realised. He would say nothing – because ultimately, it did not matter. Malik was their friend. End of story.

There was a squeak as the bathroom doors swung open and two footsteps entered. Joey's voice brightly broke the silence.

"Oh hey guys. That was a great match this morning Leon-"

There was a snap and a whiz, followed by a choked gasp and a loud crash of something colliding with the tiled wall. Harry whirled around and slammed into the door of his stall. Cursing and rebuttoning his jeans as fast as he could, he pulled out his wand and fumbled with the lock.

"Hey, what the hell?!" that was Joey. From the pained gasping not too far away, it sounded like Malik had been hurt somehow. There was a thud and an 'Ooof!' of two bodies colliding, and Harry guessed that Joey must have tackled the one responsible.

Finally the bolt slid back and Harry burst into the room. He recognised the two newcomers. The one grappling with Joey was tanned and had blue streaked hair – Riley King, Harry remembered from the duels that morning – while Leon Von Schroeder was advancing on Malik, who was crumpled against a stall door coughing. Harry saw a holoprojector humming next to him, its partner lying in a sink with a huge dent in the tiles above it. One of the boys (he guessed Riley from the way his duel disk was flashing) had set off their holoprojectors and fired them at Malik.

Hearing the stall door slam, Leon whirled, duel disk raised. But Harry was faster. He registered the way he held his disk as though to strike, and the blank look in his eyes in the split second it took for him to raise his wand.

"Stupefy!"

The spell struck Leon in the chest and he collapsed in a heap on the floor. Hearing Malik groan, Harry made to go to him, but was forced to stumble back into a toilet as Riley pivoted suddenly and swung Joey into a stall door. The flimsy screens rattled in their supports with an almighty crash and Joey growled. It must have hurt him, but Harry was impressed to see he did not relinquish his hold, but threw Riley back into the sink with the glowing holoprojector.

"Stupefy!" Malik croaked. He had somehow managed to extract his wand from his pocket, but his hand was shaking so much that the spell missed and shattered the sink next to Riley, sending a fountain of water bursting from the pipes. Spluttering, Riley and Joey backed off, wiping their eyes. Joey was cursing loudly. Disorientated, Riley slipped against the tiles, striking his head against another sink with a nasty whack. He went down heavily against the wall, the water soaking his shirt and jeans.

For a second, nobody moved, then Malik dropped his wand and began to pull himself up, leaning heavily against the stall. Forcing his legs to move, Harry lurched towards Riley to check that he was well and truly out cold. There was a trickle of blood running from his head, and his breathing was deep and even.

"What the hell was that?!" Joey finally regained enough of his wits to yell.

"I don't know," Malik groaned, bent almost double as he shuffled towards the growing puddle of water. "Is he dead?"

"No," Harry shook his head. "Just unconscious. We should probably get help."

"I can't believe it..." Joey was incredulous. "I don't believe it. Leon's our friend. He'd never attack us like this! And Riley seemed like a really nice guy! Mai said he helped them yesterday!"

The blankness in Leon's eyes came back to Harry now, and he paused in his examination of Riley's inert form.

"I don't think it was them," he said. "I think they were being controlled or something. When I looked at Leon, his eyes looked vacant – like he wasn't really there."

"Controlled...you mean like brainwashed?" Joey asked.

"There's a spell," Harry explained. "The Imperius Curse. It lets you mind control someone. I think that's what happened to these guys."

"I think he's right Joey," Malik said. "Their movements...they were all robotic, just like how people are when I use the Rod to control them."

"I knew it!" Joey said, but his voice was tinged with relief. "Leon's a good kid. He'd never want to hurt us!"

He was so happy that he did not register how loud he was being, but someone else did. The bathroom door swung open to reveal Mai and Serenity standing there with irritated looks on their faces that changed to concern as they saw the state of the bathroom.

"What on Earth happened here?!" Mai demanded. Serenity gasped as she saw the unconscious bodies of Riley and Leon.

"Joey, are they okay? Do you need me to get help?"

"Yeah, one of the tournament officials," Joey said immediately. "Tell them to call an ambulance!"

Harry was impressed at how quickly Serenity obeyed, bolting from the doorway and racing off down the corridor. Heedless of the fact that it was a men's bathroom, Mai strode purposefully forwards, pulling a first aid kit from her bag.

"What happened to them Joey?" she asked, kneeling besides Riley first and shaking his shoulders gently.

"Malik, we'd better clear this place up," Harry said suddenly, raising his wand again. The need for secrecy suddenly became paramount as he realised that they would have paramedics arriving in a matter of minutes, and they would want an explanation that did not involve mind control or magic.

"Yeah good point," Malik nodded. "Better tell the ambulance that the floor was wet and they both slipped – knocked their heads or something."

Slowly, they began repairing the damaged sinks, and drying the water up, making sure to leave a puddle by the door to fit the cover story. As Mai continued to check Riley over, Harry hurried over to Leon and checked him over. He had a sizeable bump on the head from hitting the floor, but other than that had no discernible injuries.

"I'd better not try reviving him," Malik said, stowing his wand away sheepishly. "Given how much of a mess I made earlier."

Harry wholeheartedly agreed, and flicked his wand, muttering '_ennervate'._ Slowly, Leon stirred, and blinked his eyes open.

"...Malik?"

"Hey man, good to have you back," Malik greeted, as Harry hastily hid his wand before questions could be asked. Confused, Leon tried to sit up.

"Lie back," Joey ordered, coming to kneel beside him. "You took a bit of a fall...do you know where you are?"

Leon frowned, looking around the bathroom. "Men's room. Why..." his eyes opened wide as he saw Mai checking Riley's pulse. "What happened to Riley? What's wrong with him?!"

"Chill man," Joey advised. "He'll be okay. He just hit the ground a bit harder than you. We've got an ambulance on the way, and Mai knows first aid – she used to work on a cruise ship. She's done this kinda thing before. Trust me, he's in good hands."

Mai paused in working to give Leon a reassuring smile. "He'll be fine kiddo. He's just unconscious. Probably have a hell of a headache when he wakes up."

Leon did not look particularly reassured, but he lay back against the floor again. "How did I fall?"

"Puddle," Malik nodded at the door. "Both of you slipped."

"...both of us?" Leon asked with a touch of scepticism.

"Hey, if we hadn't been so worried," Malik said. "It probably would have been hilarious. It looked like something you see in a movie!"

It was clearly not funny to Leon, and he remained quiet until the paramedics arrived. They examined both boys, placed them on stretchers, and carried them out to the ambulances. By this point Zigfried and Riley's father had been alerted, and both went with the ambulances to the hospital, leaving Joey, Malik and Harry to explain what had happened to a pair of humourless tournament officials. Perhaps because the word 'lawsuit' was still ringing in their ears from when Zigfried had shouted it earlier, they let the issue drop quickly, and released them from interrogation nearly an hour after they had initially headed for the bathroom.

"About time!" Mai said, as they appeared from the men's bathroom.

"Man that guy in the suit liked to hear himself talk," Joey grumbled. "I'm starving!"

"Never mind that," Malik dropped his voice. "Harry, are you sure it was the Imperius Curse?"

Harry nodded. "It looked like it. In our fourth year our teacher put it on all of us so we could practise throwing it off. I remember the looks on their faces as he was doing it. That's what Leon and Riley looked like."

Malik chewed on his lip. "I'm starting to think we may have a magical stalker."

"We already do, remember?" Joey said grimly. "Those auror guys...hey!" he said excitedly. "You don't think those guys are the ones who did it?"

"Can't be," Harry shook his head. "Even if that Adams guy is working for Voldemort, I don't think even aurors have authority to use Unforgivable curses – using them lands you in Azkaban."

Malik snorted. "Since when have Voldemort's henchmen cared about legality? I think we definitely shouldn't rule it out." He checked his watch. "Look, we'd better go find the others. Give them an update and get some food."

"Yeah food sounds like a good idea," Joey nodded. "So much for an early dinner..."

"Oh but first, Harry?"

Harry stopped short at the sudden lightness to Malik's tone. "Yeah?"

"Wash your hands, for Ra's sake!"

OOO

The fly was oblivious to the annoyance that it was causing the sole occupant of the room. It had little comprehension of the building it had invaded, nor of the darkness of the creature that shared its current space. With a small cloud of dark energy, the bug's life was quickly extinguished, and a dark figure seemed to ooze from the shadows of the wall.

The Dark One growled, welcoming the return of the peace and quiet, and yet annoyed at the same time. Silence bored him stiff, unless there was killing involved. He had always found it amusing that most human beings needed noise to feel comfortable and safe. Silence had the ability to raise hairs on the back of a person's neck, and leave them tense and uncomfortable as they waited for the swish of a knife blade through the air, or the sound of their killer's heavy breathing.

Though while it was useful at the right times, he did not like it any better than the next person. It reminded him too much of darker times in his life. Of the loneliness that his other half had put him through. Abandoned like some old relic that outlived its use.

He growled again and stretched, before pulling a small deck of cards from the pocket of his trousers. Examining them, one at a time, he allowed himself a smirk of pride. Use of the Shadows again, meant he had been able to generate himself a new deck – _his _deck. One which truly worked to the best of his strengths and powers. This time, there would be no stopping him.

He was happy to have his powers back, and just a bit relieved. Before, he had no choice but to cooperate with this Dark Lord, this Voldemort, who was supposed to be all powerful. He snorted in amusement. That man was sadly deluded. There was nothing powerful or impressive about the way he leaned on the Orichalcos. The man's own magic interested the Dark One a great deal. It seemed very versatile and capable of a wide range of things. Powerful though the Shadows may be, their powers were limited to soul manipulation, monster summoning, and Shadow Games. He could not use them to conjure water or make things float.

The diversity of wizard magic was something that the Dark One would have to watch out for. He would continue to treat Voldemort carefully. He could make further use of him, and his network of spies, when the time was right. But right now, it would be better not to let him know too much of his powers.

Speaking of which, he would have to tie up a loose end. This former Tomb Keeper that sold the Dark Lord information would need to be dealt with. He couldn't afford to have Voldemort learn any more about Shadow Magic. It could prove dangerous for him if the Dark Lord knew how powerful he really was. However he could not just storm in and kill off his contact. That would immediately put Voldemort on the alert. For now, it would be better to learn who and where this person was, so that he could prepare for such an eventuality.

He strode purposefully to the door of the room. It opened at his touch and he smirked. The Dark Lord was not stupid enough to try and contain him evidently. He could not say he really approved of Voldemort's hideout. It was dusty, old, and very dark – three things he hated. He had been pleased to overhear plans for the Death Eaters to move their base of operation. Apparently the Dark Lord was not too fond of this place either for more personal reasons.

It was not hard to find one of Voldemort's robed henchmen, and he recognised the man as Albury, the one who had been tortured at the first meeting, and who knew so much about the movements and activity of all the Death Eaters. The Dark One checked hastily that there were no more of Voldemort's little minions around – they had a habit of flocking together like vultures around a corpse. Satisfied of their solitude, the Dark One quickly bound the man with thick tendrils of Shadow Magic. Albury struggled hard, attempting to wriggle his arm into his robes for his wand.

"Unhand me!" he demanded, upon seeing the Dark One's approach. "At once!"

"Oh I don't think so," the Dark One muttered, fingering the Brain Control spell card on the top of his deck, and smirking as the man's eyes became blank, and his whole expression obedient. "In fact, I think you and I are about to get on very well indeed..."

OOO

"Really? That's good. Okay you get some rest. Thanks Leon. Bye." Joey hung up the phone and handed it back to Yugi. "Riley's woken up. He doesn't remember anything. He's got concussion, but the doctors will keep him in tonight and hopefully he'll be fine by tomorrow."

Up and down the table there was a sigh of relief before everyone went back to their main course. Down at the very end of the table, Joey was sat between Tristan and Duke to silence their inevitable verbal sparring matches. Opposite them, Mai and Serenity were deep in conversation, while next to them, Hermione, Mokuba and Rebecca had set up their own small workstation between the plates and cutlery. Bits of paper were squeezed everywhere, and two of the candles and one vase of flowers had been sacrificed from the table to make way for the two large laptops

Anyone who did not know Hermione or Rebecca would have insisted that the dinner table was not the best place to be researching a worldwide disaster. But everyone around the table did know them, and they knew that it was pointless to stop them while they had a mystery to solve. Rebecca's fingers were flying over her laptop, and by her side, Mokuba was cross referencing any information that her search brought up on his own computer. Hermione was scribbling notes furiously down onto a piece of parchment, documenting everything that they knew about the recent events.

The huge group would have attracted a lot of stares from the residents of the Leaky Cauldron, even without the muggle technology, which was working thanks to a healthy dose of Shadow Magic (though the Leaky Cauldron itself was not terribly magically dense like Hogwarts, the amount of magic it took to hide it and Diagon Alley made electronic equipment incredibly temperamental). But the fact that most of the witches and wizards staying at the pub were there for the tournament, meant that their presence had caused a severe amount of excitement, until eventually, Tom had offered to give the group a private parlour in order to allow them to eat in peace.

It was nice now that they were somewhere quiet. Yugi liked moments like this where all his friends were together and enjoying themselves. However he wished that the circumstances tonight were happier – on top of Leon and Riley's brainwashing not two hours ago, the events of the previous night were weighing heavily on his mind. And now that everyone was alert and aware that a wizard was running around the arena brainwashing people, the wild theories had begun, attempting to connect the day's events to a wider picture.

The thought that someone had used their friends to attack them made Yugi shiver. The thought that they had used kids of Leon and Riley's age to attack them just made him sick. Leon was a good kid, and Riley had always been pleasant, despite the usual rivalry that tournaments brought about between competitors. And it made Yugi feel unbelievably cold inside as he wondered who in their circle of friends would be the next victim. Almost on cue, he felt Yami send a wave of reassurance down the mind link.

/_They will be fine, Aibou. We won't let anything happen to them._/

/_I hope you're right_/ Yugi thought, poking around at his food. Vaguely he heard Malik say something about tectonics, and his mind began chasing itself again.

There was any number of people who could have put an Imperius Curse on the boys – the fact that they had no way to time the spell and the sheer number of people around made deductions almost impossible. Most of Yugi's friends were betting that it was Adams – he certainly seemed the most likely suspect. But they had all been keeping an extra eye out for the aurors all day, and nobody had seen them, let alone seen them anywhere near Leon and Riley. Added to which the two duellists had spent most of the day in the VIP box with the rest of the competitors, and nobody had noticed anything wrong then, which meant that the person responsible could easily be someone who sat with them each day.

Theories ranged from Death Eater to Voldemort himself, but they had exhausted all the immediate suspects, and they were no closer, so now the conversation had shifted. Indeed now that they knew that Leon and Riley would be okay, it seemed all anyone wanted to talk about now that the matches were over for the day, was the earthquakes that had rocked parts of the world the previous night – hence the current research session in the middle of the dinner table.

"England...Japan...Egypt...California...there must be something, that links them together," Hermione was pulling hard on her hair, unable to think of a logical reason for the quakes. "Geographic links?"

"No proper ones," Rebecca stated, tapping away on her computer. "Three of them are on plate boundaries, but that doesn't explain northern England at all."

Hermione went back to scribbling, and barely noticed that Ron was leaning across the table and stealing bits of food off her abandoned plate.

"Historical links?" Hermione suggested. Mokuba shook his head. He had been enthralled by the pub when they had first arrived, but now he was all business, like a softer more amiable version of his brother.

"Different cultures, different ages, entirely different historical backgrounds. No link there."

"I'm flagging up a lot of the news reports," Rebecca added. "They're still flooding in to try and clam the public hysteria. Most people are assuming it was a fluke of nature, but there are several stations that are comparing it to the events of a year ago-"

"What events?" Harry asked.

"The last time the Orichalcos was being used," Rebecca spun her laptop around to show everyone the screen, which had photographs of tidal waves and the damage caused to the west coast of the USA.

"No way," Ron swallowed his mouthful of food before continuing. "You mean you had natural disasters the last time someone was using the Orichalcos?"

"It's a highly volatile form of magic," Malik muttered. "It wouldn't surprise me if it could mess with the rest of the world like this. The effects of ancient power – especially something like the Orichalcos which draws its power from another dimension too – can have profound effects here in this dimension."

"Yeah we had tsunamis and freaky lightshows in the sky last time," Tristan remembered.

"But still," Hermione threw her book on the table, and Ron leaped away in alarm, a stolen forkful of pie clattering back onto her plate. "That doesn't explain why these four locations! There's no link!"

"There is a link," Joey said, swallowing his own mouthful. "And I'm impressed no one else realised it sooner."

Everyone turned to look at him, and the blonde duellist sighed.

"Think about it guys. They're all places we've had Shadow Games or Orichalcos duels. It's simple."

As soon as he said it, Yugi realised that his friend was right. It was so blatantly obvious, that he couldn't believe he hadn't seen it before.

/_So it is linked to us_/ the Pharaoh's voice sounded heavy.

"Why didn't we think of that earlier?" Tea wondered aloud. Joey shrugged.

"You were looking for a more complicated explanation, and completely missed the most obvious one."

"Impressive Joey," Tristan stated.

"Yeah don't think too hard," Duke grinned, trying to make light of the situation. "You'll hurt yourself."

"Zip it, dice boy!"

Deep in thought now, Yugi pushed his chips around his plate. Now that Joey had pointed out the obvious, it seemed clear that it had been magic that had targeted the four locations – which would explain what Yami had felt during the quake. All of the locations had been the setting of at least one Orichalcos duel, and all of them except California had been touched by the shadows sometime in the past year...

"Rebecca," Yugi turned to the prodigy. "Can you rank the quakes for me in order of severity?"

"Damage or Strength?" Rebecca asked, pushing her glasses up her nose.

"Strength. I need to know the energy released at each one."

There was a moment of silence, broken only by Rebecca's fingers flying across the keys as she accessed all the news reports, and began to cross reference them with various geological sources.

"Okay, the California quake was the lightest at four point one. That's considered a mild to moderate quake, and it did cause some damage – few roof tiles and what have you, but as far as the west coast goes, that was not as bad as it could have been. They're used to quakes way up in the sevens."

Yugi nodded. That supported his theory so far.

"The next strongest was England. Edinburgh and Carlisle felt the worst of it, registering a four point two. That's pretty strong for England. Usually their quakes fall between three and four."

"I've never felt earthquakes in England," Ron frowned. "And I've lived here my whole life."

"Well like Becky said," Joey explained. "They're only three or four. That's only really strong enough to make your knives and forks rattle."

"Second strongest was Egypt," Rebecca was still pounding away at her keyboard. "But there's a jump in the severity – five point eight."

"In other words, pretty strong," Hermione summarised. "Which leaves Japan as the strongest."

Rebecca nodded. "Six point two. Pretty damaging. All things considered, they were lucky that the power was all they lost. Usually these earthquakes don't leave any utilities behind. But then it is Japan – they know how to build for quakes."

"That makes sense," Yugi was nodding, and everyone gave him curious looks.

"You worked something out?" Tea asked curiously, and the short duellist nodded.

"Joey's right – these areas were all places targeted by Shadow Games or Orichalcos duels – in other words, they're vulnerable to that magic. I think someone used a great deal of Orichalcos magic and Shadow Magic last night – and that was what caused the earthquakes. The energy bled back into areas it had been before, and caused damage, just like the tsunamis last year."

"Like someone picking open a scab again?" Ron asked, ignoring as everyone grimaced and pushed their plates away.

"Sort of," Yugi nodded. "Let's say every time there's an Orichaclos duel or a Shadow Game it leaves a wound in that location. Now imagine how many wounds each of these places have. Compare California and Hogwarts, where there are relatively few wounds, to Egypt and Domino, where there have been lots of Shadow Games and Orichalcos duels..."

"And it matches how strong the quakes were," Joey concluded.

"But then shouldn't Egypt have been stronger than Domino?" Malik asked, with a frown. "I mean the Ancient Egyptians played Shadow Games pretty much every day of their lives once the items were created."

Yugi shrugged. "That was five thousand years ago though – more time for the wounds to heal. Since the Shadow Realm has been active in our lifetime, it's been pretty quiet in Egypt."

"But we're missing the most important question," Bakura interjected, causing everyone to jump. He had taken no part in the conversation so far, even though he and Yami once again had their own places and their own meals. He had just spent the whole evening sitting at the end of the table, stabbing his steak with his fork. "Who used all that magic?"

Everyone who used wizarding magic in the room fell silent. Nobody even clattered their cutlery.

"Voldemort," Harry finally said. Bakura nodded grimly.

"Wherever he's been hiding, or got stuck for the past few months – wherever he's been – I don't think he's there anymore. I think he's back again...and I think last night, he made a comeback somehow."

He stuffed a chunk of bloody meat into his mouth and chewed thoroughly.

"And we'd better make sure that we're ready for it – whatever madness he's unleashed."

OOO

"That is the last for this room."

Ishizu nodded silently to herself and made a few notes to her clipboard. Her wrist was aching and she paused in writing to flex the feeling back into her fingers. Odion was sweeping the shattered remains of an antique vase into a labelled box, which was then duct taped shut to be sent for storage. The quake had left several of the museums most priceless artefacts damaged beyond repair. The team of restoration experts were on hand to see if anything could be repaired, along with Ishizu and Odion, who were documenting the damage for insurance purposes.

Catching a glance at the list over his sister's shoulder, Odion could not help but sigh. A horrifying amount of ancient history had been ruined in the last twenty four hours. The restoration of several of those artefacts would be expensive too, and the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities and the museum's first priority would be to repair the building, which had taken a severe amount of structural damage from the quake. The tall man shook his head, knowing that he and Ishizu had a sleepless few weeks ahead of them.

"Is that everything?" the speaker was a short young man named Kufu, who normally worked as a cleaner, but who had offered to stay longer to help with the cataloguing. He was a little intimidated by Odion, but like many museum employees, his respect for Ishizu far outweighed any fear he may have.

"That is the last of it," Ishizu's voice was heavy with fatigue, and a hint of sorrow at the loss of so many priceless artefacts.

"Good," Kufu said, before realising he sounded too eager, and blushing.

"Somewhere you need to be Kufu?" Ishizu enquired. The young man shook his head.

"Not especially...I was just going to see if Aman wanted a lift home."

Odion could not help but smile. He and Ishizu both had suspicions that Kufu's eagerness to help the head of restoration was due to the crush he seemed to have on the man's daughter.

"You go," Ishizu told him kindly. "We will lock up down here."

Elated, Kufu thanked them both and headed for the staircase. As he reached the top however, his hurried footsteps slowed to a halt. He paused, and turned back.

"Oh, Ishizu. I noticed that the east vault entrance was unlocked on my way past earlier. You will need to lock that up too."

Odion frowned. The east wing vault was where many of the artefacts from the Great Gap were stored. That vault was not designated for any storage of damaged artefacts, and he and Ishizu had checked its contents themselves earlier. He was positive he had locked it.

And since when had Kufu started to address Ishizu by her given name?

Ishizu's voice interrupted. "Thank you Kufu. Have a good evening."

The young man wandered away, a dazed, almost lovesick expression on his face. Odion turned to his sister, not bothering to disguise his unease.

"No artefacts were to be stored in the east wing vault, were they?" Asking was foolish. He knew as well as she did that the wing was supposed to have been undisturbed.

Ishizu shook her head slowly. "We should double check..."

"I will go," Odion said firmly. "You lock the doors up here."

He was anxious about leaving her up here alone, but the restoration team were still upstairs, as were several cleaners, and the security staff. Ishizu would be perfectly safe. And besides, Odion told himself, he was only going to lock the door.

Ishizu nodded, but looked just an anxious has he felt. "Be careful."

This put Odion more on guard. Ishizu's bad feelings were often dead accurate. Silently he hurried down the staircase, crossing the corridor and heading toward the east side of the building. His path held no light, but that did not faze him. He had spent years following Malik's more sinister exploits, most of them done in the dead of night. A dark museum was nothing to him, though he thanked the Gods that those days were over and that they all had the chance to live in the light.

As Kufu had stated, the door to the back vaults had been pulled wide open. Odion growled low in his throat. He would never have left the door open for just anyone to get in. Someone had broken in. He pulled a torch from his jacket pocket and the walkie talkie that all museum staff were required to carry if they were working after hours. Depressing the button brought only a dry burst of static, and he realised too late, that the vaults were too far down to allow for any signal. He was on his own.

Stepping cautiously toward the door, Odion shone the circle of light from his torch ahead. It was clear from a glance, that whoever had broken in had created quite a mess. A stack of boxes had been knocked over, some of their contents ripping free of their cardboard confines and scattering over the floor. Odion patted his hand against the wall by the door, knowing that the light switch was there, but unable to locate it. He swung the torch around to aid him in his search – and froze.

As his small circle of light had swept the floor, a dark stain had caught his eye. He refocused the torch and his eyes went wide. It was blood. And it looked fresh.

Odion's hand froze in its search for the light switch. He knew he should back out now, hurry upstairs, call for backup and get Ishizu out of the building, but he was unable to stop his eyes following the trail of blood splatters, lining the floor further and further back into the room.

As his torch followed the trail of blood, the heavy vault door slammed shut behind him, the lock closing with an audible click. Odion heard, but could not turn away from the sight that had just appeared in the round, golden glow of his torch.

Kufu was standing completely still, blood dripping from the vicious looking antique sword, which had been pushed into his back. The tip of the blade protruded from between his ribs, tiny droplets of blood falling one after another into a little puddle on the ground between his shoes.

"O...di...on..."

His hoarse voice died as the sword was pulled out, and the body left to slump to the ground, more blood rushing to join the puddles on the floor.

Odion did not feel afraid, but he did feel horror. Kufu was a good man, and only eighteen years old – a year older than Malik, he realised in a disjointed fashion. What kind of monster could do this to an innocent?

His torch flickered and died, and the shadows seemed to flood into life around him. His breath froze in a startled gasp and white hot pain pierced his stomach. He looked down, and found the tip of the silver blade glistening with blood.

A cold voice brushed his ear.

"Hello Odion. I brought you a little present..."

And for the first time in a very long time, Odion Ishtar feared for his life.


	7. Chapter 7: Blackout

**A/N: **Okidokey. Sorry for the delay people. Stuff happened. So with Christmas and everything, it'll be two and a half weeks until I update next to balance it out.

First things first – I have been ill all last week with a rather nasty bout of Norovirus, so in between racing for the bathroom and curling up in my bed wishing myself dead, I didn't really have much in the way of opportunity to respond to everyone's reviews. Sorry about that.

Second – belly dancing went really well. The performances were excellent (including our own) and I learned a lot. It was only spoilt by a pair of fifty year old gossipy ladies in the hotel cafe calling us all a bunch of tarts. Fortunately my friend who overheard them is a mother and has long since mastered the art of making someone feel two inches tall without having to raise her voice. So we all left feeling very good about ourselves, and I hope that the gossipy ladies went home feeling appropriately ashamed.

Third – and now its time for some shameless plugging! On this occasion, to coincide with what you are all about to read, I'm recommending 7th Librarian – not because he's my boyfriend, but because he writes some of the most beautiful Blueshipping I've ever read. If you enjoy the upcoming pairing in this story, I cannot recommend him enough.

And lastly – I'm dedicating this chapter to everyone involved in the terrible shootings in Connecticut on Friday. My heart goes out to all the children and all the families.

OOO

**Chapter 7: Blackout**

In dreams, a person often experiences a complete loss of control over their actions, the events playing out before them like a film. However much the back of a person's mind may scream and shout that going into that haunted looking house is a bad idea; the dream will force the person to walk in regardless. The conscious mind is at the mercy of a sadistic subconscious, with more demons and fears to exorcise than one could possibly imagine.

Seto Kaiba was comfortable of the fact that he was in complete control of himself. Nothing in his world existed that was outside his power. If he wanted something, he got it, because he knew how to get it, and he had the means to do so at his disposal. There was the problematic fact of Yugi, and the numerous victories that his short rival held over him, but this was the tournament where that would all change – of that, Kaiba was certain. He would have no part of his life – his brother, his company, even his duelling status – outside his influence. He was Seto Kaiba. He made his life how he wanted it.

Kaiba did not usually allow himself to think about his dreams – he rarely had them anyway, his analytical mind neatly filing the day's events away in his head, with no need to be pulled out and examined while he slept. But that was not to say he had _never _had them. Nightmares about his step father had been a common one through his life, but they were mostly dead and buried along with the old man now. Dreams pertaining to the hallucinations he had seen ever since Yugi Mutou became part of his life had slipped in and out each time some new drama came around, but he forced himself not to think or dwell on those.

Except for one.

He had had it ever since his duel with Ishizu on the blimp – when he had seen that hallucination of himself in Egyptian clothes, cradling that girl. It had haunted him, weaving in and out of his sleep with ease, and he hated himself for it. He hated himself for buying in, however unwillingly to one of Ishizu's stupid tricks. He hated himself for ever getting involved with Yugi Mutou and his gang of mental ward rejects. And most of all, he hated himself for waking up after each dream, sweating and heart racing with an emotion that could only be labelled as sheer horror.

The most rational part of his mind had chalked them up to lack of sleep and too many late nights staring at a computer screen, while the analytical part of his mind had declared them to be a mental manifestation of his worst fears – corporate business tycoon aside, he was still a teenager, and most teenagers coped badly with stress – though he would be damned if he would _ever _admit he was suffering any kind of weakness aloud. All the while, the tiny part of his mind that was permitted to run a little wild reminded him of how horrible it would be to be to be in that position in real life – to lose control completely and wind up with someone (maybe even Mokuba) dead in his arms.

He always shut his mind down angrily at that point. Nothing, and nobody would _ever _take Mokuba away from him. And he would bury himself in work for the rest of the night, giving up sleep as a lost cause.

Tonight however was different.

There was no Egyptian desert. And there was no stone slab with the Blue Eyes. He was in his bedroom in the penthouse apartment he shared with Mokuba. He was not wearing the robes of an Egyptian High Priest, but his regular clothes. And there was no girl in sackcloth with white hair, lying dead in his arms.

Instead she stood in the middle of the room, upright, alive and smiling warmly at him. Even in the darkness of the room, her hair shone against the moonlight, and she wore a long dress in a pale powdery blue silk (Blue Eyes White Dragon coloured, he could not help but think). Wide blue eyes, usually closed forever by death, now blinked at him with hope framed by long eyelashes.

The rational part of his mind (the part that usually screamed at him in dreams not to go into that sinister looking room, or to get up and walk away from the stone slab) yelled at him to just turn around and leave the room. Instead, in that strange dreamlike way, he asked. "Kisara?"

She smiled, relief plain on her face. "Seto. It's taken me a while to contact you like this."

"_She has no right to call me that,"_ the rational part of his mind ranted. "_Only Mokuba calls me that!"_ he paid it no attention, and carried on. "And where is this? Am I still dreaming?"

She nodded, a short dip of her head that made her seem almost demure. "My powers are more limited than other spirits – merged as I am with my dragon, I can only appear in certain ways." She gave a rueful smile. "I would be impractical for me to communicate with you in a duel, so I am left to appear to you in your dreams."

"_This is just a hallucination,"_ his rational mind was muttering. "_I need to get more sleep. There is no way that this can be real."_

He brushed it off again. This was real – he was Seto Kaiba. He of all people knew the Blue Eyes White Dragon when he saw it. Fantastical as it was, he _knew_ that this woman was his Blue Eyes, in the same way that he knew that fire burned and the sun rose in the morning. She was graceful and elegant, but encompassing power and bravery, just the same way she had when he had picked up the first Blue Eyes White Dragon card all those years ago.

She had stepped closer to him now, her eyes shaping into concern now. He did not like that look of anxiety that crossed her face, and he found his mouth asking of its own accord in that strange dreamlike grasp. "Why are you here? What's wrong?"

She lifted her gaze to his. "I can hear them crying," she admitted. "Everyone in the Dominion of Beasts can, but those of us, who merged our Ba with our Ka – who became the Duel Monsters themselves – we hear it stronger because we are spirits who hang between life and death. Our feet are in both worlds." She shivered, and Kaiba restrained himself from reaching out to touch her shoulder – barely.

"They cry. They beg for release," she carried on. "I can't help them. I listen and fly by occasionally to make sure that they are okay. But I can't get them out –"

"Who are they?" he found himself asking again. He wasn't sure why this was an important question, and his rational mind was yelling at him – telling him that it was none of his concern and he should just leave it. He didn't have time for sob stories. He fought against it.

"The dead," Kisara did not cry, but tears were in her eyes none the less. "They're in Duat, and they need to get out. The Dark Lord was involved –"

"This Voldemort guy?" Kaiba recognised the title, and Kisara nodded.

"Yes, but he was just an assistant. He did not orchestrate this." She shook her head. Distress did not become a creature as powerful as Blue Eyes, and he knew that this was serious – serious enough to upset someone with almost God-like powers.

"I can't stand to listen to them cry Seto. I'm going to help them in any way that I can." She levelled him with a furious look, and he felt something twist inside him at the sight. "I'm going to get them out. But my power is entrusted to you, and I can't do it without your help." She took his hand and squeezed it. "And there's no one else I would trust to help me. So please. My place is by your side, and I always will be, but please, say you will help me free them?"

"_She's just a mind trick!"_ his rational thoughts yelled. "_Leave her. Say nothing!"_

It may as well have been a whisper for all the impact it made on him.

"I will."

Relief and joy shone across her face, and she threw her arms around him, squeezing tightly, soft lips brushing his cheek as they whispered their thanks before kissing him firmly full on the mouth. He froze, indecision and panic flooding his system. His rational mind stalled and for the first time during that dream, fell completely silent before he growled and pulled her tight against him. She was soft and powerful at the same time, gentle thankful relieved kisses tasting of honey until they turned into something more passionate, and far more wonderful.

He drank them all in like a desert wanderer finally discovering an oasis. Soft hands had traced up his neck and reached to tangle in his hair, while his traced every curve and gentle contour that was new and familiar at the same time. She was not shy – she was a dragon after all – and every soft purr of delight only spurned him on.

"Seto..." she was breathless as he carried her to bed, her eyes dancing with delight and eagerness. She was his dragon – his Kisara – and for tonight, it didn't matter if she was real or a dream.

OOO

Seven o clock the next morning found Bakura vigorously rubbing sleep dust from his eyes as he stared at the spread of cards on the bed before him. The monsters sat in rows on his left, lined up by level, while the spells and traps sat on the right, lined up by what they did – drawing and reshuffling, spell and trap destruction, Destiny Board pieces...

Usually the cards jumped out at him, and slotted into place neatly in his mind as he scanned them, fitting into all the different strategies that he and his hikari made. This morning though, his thoughts were scattered. He had not slept well. The previous day's events had left him exhausted mentally, but his stomach had refused to let him rest – which made no sense, because as spirits, he and Yami could not get ill. And yet all evening he had tossed and turned in his soul room, with his stomach rolling and his heart racing in a manner that he could only call anxiety. He was the King of Thieves! He did not get anxious! And yet each time he tried to dismiss it, the worried feeling came back stronger than ever, like his spirit was trying to tell him something outside the comprehension of his mind.

And when he had nodded off...well then the memories came to haunt him.

And so he was understandably grumpy when he had surfaced from the Ring that morning. Ryou had gently asked if he was okay, but Bakura had shrugged him off with a grunt, and a vague explanation about pondering the previous day's events. Since Adrian had already left – Gods knew where since he hadn't bothered to leave a note – Ryou had gently suggested that Bakura look over their deck to take his mind off things. He had then gathered up his clothes and made a beeline for the shower.

Bakura felt the cards blur in front of his eyes again. He just could not focus. So much was going on, and he could barely keep on top of it. It burned his tongue to use the words, but it was hard being a good guy. He would never have had this kind of worry if he'd just remained the bad guy. He'd be laughing and enjoying every second of confusion and chaos. But now he had pitted himself against Voldemort – against the evil side – and all it had given him was a sick feeling of anxiousness that he had not felt in a long time.

_How in the seven hells does the Pharaoh manage it?_ He asked himself, before giving his head a shake. _Focus, you idiot! This wondering won't help you win the Championships or help in the fight against the Death Eaters and their charlatan of a master!_

With all the effort he had in him, Bakura turned his thoughts back to the cards. _Polymerization. _Fuse Headless Knight and Earl of Demise to form Duke of Demise. _Cat of Ill Omen. _Use to draw Destiny Board, and then as tribute bait for Dark Sanctuary, or a high level monster. _Emergency Provisions. _Set it on the field always in the spell and trap zones just in case Dark Sanctuary is destroyed...

The lock clicked and the door was pushed open to reveal Adrian with a stack of paperwork in his arms – Bakura guessed that he had been down at the hotel business centre. Not that he particularly cared. He was still far from happy about the man being there in the first place, and had rather hoped that the man might keep up the life time habit of avoiding his son while they were there. Unfortunately after he'd reappeared the previous day, he had been sticking alarmingly close to Ryou. Yami would have called the Spirit of the Ring paranoid, but Bakura was positive that he was just waiting for some pretext to split him and Ryou up.

_Fat chance_, the thief thought to himself, but then his stomach twisted again in worry, and he could not help but feel he may have just jinxed himself.

"Where's Ryou?" the door had not even finished swinging shut before Adrian's voice – suspicious and demanding in the presence of the spirit – cut through Bakura's anxiety. The Thief King adopted his most condescending face.

"He flew to Mars on a giant camel," he sneered, the ensuing silence broken by the clear noise of the shower running at full blast in the next room.

"Don't you-" Adrian spluttered, apparently trying to formulate some kind of chastisement, but Bakura just snorted at him.

"Don't what? Be rude to my elders? Listen, _mortal,_ I am five thousand and twenty one years old. I was robbing tombs and writing graffiti on the palace walls earlier than you could possibly comprehend. Nobody is my elder, and I certainly have nobody I feel the need to respect, least of all you."

Turning his attention back to his cards, he decided that concentration would not be achieved now – he and Ryou were the last match today, and there would be plenty of time to go over their deck beforehand, providing that they did not run into any problems as they did yesterday. He began to scoop up the deck again, coming to an abrupt halt as Adrian's hand swept in and seized Diabound. Bakura froze.

"Give. That. Back." Gods knew he tried to keep his voice calm, but the menace seeped through. He did not care.

"These are not your cards," Adrian said firmly. "They belong to Ryou. You have no right to be handling them."

Every single instinct in Bakura was screaming at him to send this fool to the Shadow Realm. He could feel his fingers twitching, desperate to reach for the knife.

"Do you not listen to a word that is said to you?" he growled. "Ryou has already told you several times – we are two halves of the same soul. That deck belongs to both of us, and certainly not to you. Now unhand my monster this minute."

The shower spray stopped.

"I might buy in to the fact that you are some kind of magical entity from five thousand years ago," Adrian snapped. He was on the attack now, and Bakura felt his hackles rise further – he was more than ready to meet the challenge. "But you are _not _a part of my son. He would never willingly be involved with someone like you."

Something inside Bakura snapped, and he burst into laughter that saw him bent almost double. When he spoke, his voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"Oh and of course you know your son and what he would willingly be involved in best, wouldn't you? The wonderful father, who hides away in Egypt because he's a _coward._ Tell me mortal," he breezed on as Adrian struggled to find an eloquent response. "Tell me what your son got up to in June last year? Tell me how he spent the first week of his summer vacation?"

"He..." Adrian finally found his voice. "He was...at home..."

Bakura made a noise like a gameshow buzzer.

"Wrong! He was in the Battle City Duel Monsters tournament, wiping the floor with the country's best duellists. He wound up in hospital after the final and he was unconscious for a long time." He neglected to mention that he had been in charge for most of that tournament, and he was the reason that Ryou had wound up in hospital. He sneered instead. "I'll bet you didn't even know he left the country on a blimp to take part! And what about Duellist Kingdom in March? Did you know he missed a week of school to help out with that?"

He couldn't help feel a surge of satisfaction at the astonished look on the man's face – it eased his stomach and his tiredness beautifully.

"I used to think my step father was a rat bastard," he blew a few strands of hair out of his face in an ironic huff. "But at least he had the balls to look me in the eye and tell me that he did not care, instead of pretending that everything was normal-"

"Bakura!"

Both Adrian and Bakura stopped, and turned to see Ryou framed in the door, with steam billowing out behind him. He was fully dressed, and his hair was still damp, but Bakura knew that the flush on his face was not from the heat. His hikari was pissed.

"Out."

Neither of them moved. Bakura wasn't entirely sure who Ryou was directing the order to.

"Bakura out! I'll talk to you later."

Glad to leave Adrian's presence, and positively gleeful about the argument that was bound to follow; Baukra plucked Diabound from Adrian's fingers and swept from the room.

/_Don't you be smug, Bakura_/ Ryou snapped, causing the yami to jump. /_I'm fed up of you both going at each other all the time. It ends now!_/

And he slammed the link shut in unison with the bedroom door.

Loitering in the corridor, Bakura huffed, and sank against the doorframe onto his behind. His anger was quickly being drained away by tiredness again, and he rubbed his eyes as a magnificent explosion of sound appeared from behind the door.

"HE'S NOT GOING ANYWHERE! I told you already HE CAN'T LEAVE THE RING!"

There was a response that came out muffled through the wood, but Bakura leaned back sharply as the volume rose again.

"NEVER! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF SOMEONE ELSE GOT AHOLD OF THIS?!"

The link abruptly opened again as Ryou's anger and frustration peaked, cresting over into a wave of pure fury that sent Bakura reeling.

"AT LEAST HE'S BEEN HERE FOR ME!"

A smirk blossomed across Bakura's face. That had to have hurt – not that he cared. He was damn proud of his hikari for finally saying it. He was still angry at Adrian for having the nerve to make him seem like the bad guy when he was far from the doting parent himself. Bakura might have royally fucked up Ryou's life on multiple occasions in the past, but now it was different. He knew his hikari did not deserve the hell he had put him through and, Gods help him, he actually cared for the boy.

And speaking of care...

"YOU'VE NEVER CARED BEFORE, AND YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO START CARING NOW ABOUT WHO I DO AND DON'T HANG AROUND WITH! THEY'RE MY FRIENDS AND THEY'RE THE ONLY FAMILY I'VE HAD FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS!"

Bakura was resisting the urge to start cheering like one of those irritating American school girls that he saw on TV with their polyester outfits and obnoxiously coloured pompoms. Instead he leaned his head back against the corridor wall, noting briefly that the peach coloured wallpaper clashed horribly with his shirt. He closed his eyes and listened more. This was better than a lifetime of therapy. If only he'd had the chance to scream this kind of thing to his own father...

"DON'T YOU DARE BRING MALIK INTO THIS! HE'S MY BEST FRIEND!"

Who knew Ryou was capable of screaming like that, let alone to his own family (though Bakura used that term loosely). But then again, Ryou had surprised him a lot in the past year. Resourceful little hikari...rather like he had been in his younger years.

There was a thud from inside the room, and Bakura's grin turned malicious. It sounded like Ryou's temper had finally snapped completely and he had thrown something…or even better, Bakura mused, socked his idiot of a father in the face. Ooh he hoped the boy left a mark. That would make his week so much better...

"Kura?"

The whispered name triggered a rush of shock, fear and joy through the thief. His eyes snapped open and all the air was stolen from his lungs in an instant. His heart beat hard against his ribs. It couldn't be...

Before him stood a child of about four years old. Her skin was tanned and she wore a grubby linen dress. Her long black hair sat wildly on her head and her deep blue eyes reached out to his soul.

"Akila?" Bakura's voice was barely a whisper. He tried to get to his feet, but his legs would not move.

The girl slumped in heavy relief, but Bakura could see the tears in her eyes. She was worried for him and his stillness.

"Big brother…"

Swallowing the lump of emotion in his throat, Bakura crawled over and laid a shaky hand on her shoulder. Fabric and flesh filled his hand and his eyes went wide.

"You're real…" he gasped, amazed as he pulled his sister close. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders and squeezed, and he felt her cheek press against his. "How…?"

She did not have to answer. He felt it the second he pulled her against him. She pulsed with the wild unstable power of one who had little or no practise in what she was doing, and he felt the unmistakable pull of the Shadow Realm. She was doing exactly what he and the Pharaoh did – she was filling her soul with Shadow Magic to flesh it out. Bakura did not have the first clue how she had managed it, let alone pull herself into the mortal world again, but her methods were unmistakable.

"Help me…"

The plea was whispered, but each word fell clearly into Bakura's ears and he pulled back slightly to look into her eyes.

"What?" he asked.

"We're lost," the tears were on her cheeks now and her voice broke from wild strength into a terrified sob. "Everyone in the Dominion is lost. They sent us to Duat…it's so dark…I'm scared…"

She had been trying to be strong, but now it overwhelmed her, and Bakura felt horror smother him – whatever had happened to them, it was terrifying enough to make his strong and brilliant sister cry.

"Shh…" he drew a thumb over his sister's cheek. "Tell me everything Akila. Who sent you to Duat?"

"The Dark One," the girl said, trembling now under her brother's touch. "He's going to find me…he'll be so mad…"

"Don't be afraid," Bakura said. "Who is 'The Dark One' Akila? And how did he send…"

Shadow Magic seeped into the corridor, blossoming like a cloud behind Akila. The little girl turned and gasped in fear.

"No! No! I can't go back!"

Bakura had never heard her sound so scared. He gripped her hand, and tried to circle his other around her protectively, but the shadows were wrapping around his sister, smothering her and drawing her back towards the realm.

"No!" the horrified girl screamed, before turning her terrified eyes back on her brother. "Help me! Save us big brother!"

"I'll find you Akila!" Bakura said desperately, fighting the pull but feeling her shaking hand slip from his own fingers. "I promise!"

Her hand was wrenched from his and she was gone, the Shadows sinking back into the ground as if they had never existed. Bakura's hands clawed at thin air before he slumped, panting against the corridor floor, barely registering as Ryou came racing out of the room, grasping his shoulders and asking if he was alright. He heard Adrian demanding to know what was going on, and the sounds of others moving around and looking outside their own rooms in curiosity.

It didn't matter. None of it was important. Only his last words mattered now.

"I promise…"

OOO

Yugi was almost relieved to be in the stadium again – the noise and cheering from the audience provided a welcome distraction from his thoughts, and he threw himself into the game. The morning had been distinctly cheerless so far, with further worries about the previous night's earthquakes still on everyone's minds. The problem had worsened when Ryou and Malik had appeared with grave looks on their faces, and revealed that something had happened to Bakura and that they had a very good idea now just what had happened that had caused the magical shake up the previous night.

Yugi had to admit, he had not given the Dominion of Lost Souls much thought after their brief visit mere months ago – Ryou and Bakura had explained briefly what it was, and Yugi remembered his own time there as a prisoner of the Orichalcos during the first crisis. The scale of what had happened had only dawned on him slowly, and it made him shiver. The idea that someone (and it did not take much to guess who) could move so many souls out of the Dominion was a shock by itself. For them then to be moved into the Shadow Realm was nothing short of horrifying, particularly since, as far as Yugi knew, Voldemort had no Shadow Magic or access to it.

"We shouldn't rule out any possibility," Malik had admitted, rubbing his tired eyes as he had spoken over breakfast that morning. "If Oshar passed information to Voldemort, who knows what he could have learned about the Shadows?"

But even with the knowledge that there was a former Tomb Keeper on the Dark Lord's side, the fact remained that Voldemort did not own a Millennium Item, or have a connection to the Shadow Realm (like Kaiba for instance). Which had begged the question of how and why, all the way to the stadium that morning.

It did not help that the exact details of Bakura's revelations were not apparent – from the uncomfortable look on Ryou's face, Yugi guessed that whatever had happened had affected Bakura more than he was willing to admit. Normally Yami might have rubbed this in his former rival's face, but he was too preoccupied thinking about the implications of that many souls being forcibly moved.

Duelling was a neutral zone – on the field, Yugi wiped the problems out of his mind, and let the strategy of the game wrap around him like a blanket. As per the hikari's request, Yami was sitting in his soul room during this match – Yugi was determined to play at least some of the matches in this tournament by himself. Across the field, Rebecca was smirking. There was no childish act today – it would never work on Yugi, so she had come at him hard right from the start. She was down in life points, but she currently held the field advantage, with Luster Dragon 2 (2400/1400) and Guardian Angel Joan (2800/2000) on the field in attack mode, and Fire Princess bringing up the rear in defence (1300/1500).

"Guardian Angel Joan! Attack Big Shield Gardna with Searing Light of Heaven!"

The gentle fairy glowed with a white aura before flinging heavenly light towards the hulking warrior and his giant shield. Everyone in the stadium shielded their eyes against the glare as he disintegrated into dust.

Luster Dragon attack! Emerald Flame Burst!"

Glittering green flames licked at Beta the Magnet Warrior, but before the damage could hit, Yugi hastily placed a card in his graveyard, and Kuriboh appeared on the field with a squeak, intercepting the attack and exploding on contact.

Rebecca pouted. "Kuriboh only saves your points Yugi! Your Magnet Warrior is still dust!"

Sure enough, the flames flickered around Beta, melting the tiny rock monster into slag (1700/1600).

**Life Points**

Yugi: 3200

Rebecca: 2700

"I activate Soul Rope!" Yugi shouted above the din. "I pay a thousand life points to special summon a monster from my deck – I choose Gamma the Magnet Warrior."

He knew it was a big hit to take, but he needed his Magnet Warriors urgently and it would be worth it. The pink rock monster appeared crouching in defence mode (1500/1800). Rebecca frowned – she knew what he was up to, and clearly she did not like it. She examined the cards in her hand, before plugging another one in to her disk.

"I activate Emergency Provisions, sending Dragon's Rage and Premature Burial to the graveyard."

The black worm-like mouth appeared and chomped its way through the cards, leaving Rebecca's spell and trap zones clear, and her hand with only one card in it.

**Life Points**

Yugi: 2200

Rebecca: 4700

Yugi was a little disappointed – he had Heavy Storm in his hand, and had been banking on using it to destroy Premature Burial and Guardian Angel Joan quickly, leaving only Luster Dragon and Fire Princess to deal with. But he shouldn't have been surprised, he guessed – Rebecca was far too smart to leave opportunities for her opponent to exploit.

"I end my turn," Rebecca announced, and Yugi quickly drew with a smile.

"I play Pot of Greed!"

The sinister looking blue and green jar appeared on the field for all of two seconds before it exploded. Yugi swiftly drew two more cards and added them to his hand.

"_Perfect!"_

"I play Monster Reborn to bring back Beta the Magnet Warrior!"

The yellow monster with magnets for hands appeared beside his pink counterpart.

"Next I summon Alpha the Magnet Warrior to the field," Yugi continued, the two magnet warriors joined by a third grey one. All three of them immediately glowed white before separating into pieces like toys. They reformed again quickly into a tall warrior with Gamma's wings, Beta's head and Alpha's sword. (3500/3850)

"I tribute Alpha, Beta and Gamma to summon Valkyrion the Magna Warrior!" Yugi barely heard the fans in the stadium going wild. "Valkyrion, attack Guardian Angel Joan!"

The rock warrior was gone in a flash, sword raised and slicing into Guardian Angel Joan. The fairy screamed before shattering into pixels.

**Life Points**

Yugi: 2200

Rebecca: 4000

"I end my turn with one card facedown." Yugi announced.

"Then it's my move!" Rebecca drew, and the ghostly shape of Marie the Fallen One appeared behind her, brushing a hand over her deck. In unison, Rebecca's Fire Princess began to glow and fire burst into life around Yugi's feet. He stamped it away quickly.

**Life Points**

Yugi: 1700

Rebecca: 4200

"I switch Luster Dragon to defence mode, set two cards facedown and end my turn," Rebecca announced. She looked a touch nervous, and Yugi guessed that she seriously regretted having an empty hand. He drew and studied his options.

"_Okay let's think – I've gotten rid of one of Rebecca's most powerful monsters. She still has Injection Fairy Lily somewhere in her deck, and she's got Diamond Head Dragon – those two could be problems...well I can deal with one right now."_

"I activate Heavy Storm!" Yugi plugged the card in, and the winds picked up around the stadium. Rebecca gave a yelp as her facedown Rope of Life and Adamantine Sword Revival shattered.

"_I was right,"_ Yugi thought. "_She was going for Diamond Head Dragon."_

"Valkyrion, attack Luster Dragon 2!"

The Magnet Warrior charged, slashing sideways at Luster Dragon and bisecting it through the middle. It roared feebly before exploding.

"Now I activate Soul Release!" Yugi announced, and Rebecca's eyes went wide as her graveyard glowed.

"I remove Marie the Fallen One, Witch of the Black Forest, Luster Dragon 1 and 2 and Guardian Angel Joan from play!"

The duel disk spat out the five cards, and Rebecca reluctantly pocketed them. Yugi felt relieved. Not only had he stopped Diamond Head Dragon, but he had also stopped Rebecca's gain and drain combo.

"I end my turn!"

Rebecca shot Fire Princess a nervous look, before drawing once more. She beamed.

"I play Card of Sanctity!"

Golden coins rained into the field and Rebecca and Yugi both regained a full hand.

"I summon Injection Fairy Lily to the field!" Rebecca cried, and the red headed nurse appeared astride her comically oversized syringe (400/1500). Around the stadium, wolf whistles and cat calls began to sound. "And I equip her with Horn of the Unicorn!"

Yugi couldn't help but mutter a curse – he had a copy of that very card in his deck (1100/2200). The effect on Rebecca's monster was rather interesting – rather than gain a horn on her forehead, Lily's syringe tip turned golden and horn shaped, prompting several men in the audience to begin heckling again.

"I'll pay two thousand life points to boost Lily's attack by three thousand!" Rebecca continued, as with a pop, Lily's syringe grew to massive proportions, causing her to stagger under the weight (4100/2200). "Now Lily, attack Valkyrion!"

With an almighty heave, the fairy hefted the syringe at the rock warrior. It plunged into his chest, sending cracks across his body before he exploded violently. Lily fluttered back to Rebecca's side with a giggle.

**Life Points**

Yugi: 1100

Rebecca: 2200

"I set two cards facedown, and activate Spring of Rebirth! That ends my turn!" Rebecca called, as the facedown card appeared alongside the spell. Yugi's eyes went wide.

"_That's the combo she used yesterday to take down Raoul! She must have Honest in her hand! And I'll bet one of those facedown cards is Ultimate Offering! And the other must be..."_ he thought hard for a moment thinking of all the cards in Rebecca's deck. "_...Gravity Bind! To protect Fire Princess and Lily!"_

He drew, studied his hand, and let his mind tick over the cards, his options, and a solution.

He grinned.

"I summon Breaker the Magical Warrior!" (1600/1000)

The red robed magician knight appeared, sword held at the ready. The gem at the hilt began to glow. (1900/1000)

"I remove his spell counter to destroy your facedown card on the left!" Yugi pointed, all the while praying in his mind that he hit the right card. This would all be for naught if he hit Ultimate Offering...

Breaker leaped high over Lily and Fire Princess's heads and brought his sword down on the card. It flashed, revealing Gravity Bind for an instant before shattering into pixels. Yugi heaved a sigh of relief.

"Thanks Breaker," he muttered, before pulling another card from his hand. "I play Magical Dimension, tributing Breaker to summon Dark Magician Girl!"

The sarcophagus materialised, and Breaker vanished inside. With a burst of bubbles it popped open again to reveal the buxom blonde sorceress, twirling her staff happily. Her attack points displayed two thousand for a moment, before shooting up due to the Dark Magician in Yugi's graveyard. (2300/1700)

"Magical Dimension lets me destroy a monster on your side of the field," Yugi continued. "And I choose Injection Fairy Lily!"

The fairy squeaked as chains shot out of the sarcophagus and dragged her kicking and screaming inside. Dark Magician Girl tapped it smartly with her staff, and it vanished into thin air.

"I'm not done yet Rebecca!" Yugi called. "I remove Watapon and Kuriboh from play to special summon Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning!"

The ghostly forms of Watapon and Kuriboh appeared momentarily, swirling into a black vortex. From within burst a warrior heavily clad in blue and black armour. He carried a shield in one hand and a jagged sword in the other. (3000/2500)

Rebecca was speechless.

"I use Black Luster Soldier's effect, foregoing his attack this turn to remove Fire Princess from play!" Yugi continued. Black Luster Soldier was across the stadium in a flash, slashing at Fire Princess. The black vortex from earlier appeared and with a scream, Fire Princess was dragged inside.

"And now Dark Magician Girl, attack Rebecca directly!"

Rebecca was tough enough not to scream as Dark Magician Girl pointed her wand at her and black energy collided with her stomach. She did, however, go sprawling across the stadium, landing ungracefully on her backside. As the smoke dissipated, she got to her feet, rubbing her sore behind.

**Life Points**

Yugi: 1100

Rebecca: 0

"And the winner is Yugi Mutou!"

The fans roared in approval, and Yugi released the breath he did not know he had been holding. The blanket of strategy lifted, and he was conscious of the thousands of people roaring his name. His cheeks burned, and he replaced all his cards in his deck, and switched his duel disk off as Rebecca approached, still dusting herself off.

"Good game Yugi," she said, holding out her hand with a smile. Yugi took it cautiously.

"You're not mad?"

She shrugged. "Nah. I had fun," she fixed him with a look over the top of her glasses and began to wag her finger. "But you'd better not lose this tournament, you hear? I want to be able to say that I was taken out by the winner!"

He grinned. "No problems Becky."

They walked off together to the sounds of cheering. Waiting in the entrance to the tunnels, was Malik, who would be going on next. He high fived with Yugi as they passed.

"Nice match guys. Wish me luck!"

"Good luck!" Rebecca said, as the loudspeaker announced the start of the next round and Malik turned and walked into the arena.

"Come on," Yugi urged. "Let's get back up the VIP box and cheer him and Mai on."

Rebecca shuffled through her deck as they hurried down the tunnel, and Yugi reached into his pocket to switch his phone on again.

/_Good job aibou_/

Glancing to the left, Yugi saw Yami hovering beside him in spirit form. The former Pharaoh had a proud smirk on his face. Yugi felt his blush return.

/_Thanks Pharaoh. Did you think of anything while I was duelling?_/

Yami shook his head. /_I'm afraid not. It makes no sense for Voldemort to move souls to the Shadow Realm, even if we could answer the question of how he did it. Malik is sure that none of the records that Oshar may have managed to hang onto would have contained anything as powerful as that. They are all in the keep of Ishizu now._/

Sighing, Yugi frowned saw he had three voicemail messages, and he quickly dialled the number to pick them up. /_I don't like this feeling Yami. We're playing defensive, constantly picking ourselves up after each attack. I just don't feel like we're fighting back at all..._/

He paused as they reached the steps to the VIP box. The first voicemail had just begun playing, and he did not like it.

"Yugi?" Rebecca noticed his stillness and paused with one foot on the step. "What's wrong?"

"It's Ishizu," Yugi said. "She wants Malik to call her as soon as possible. Apparently she can't get through to him."

"He was looking for a phone charger this morning," Rebecca said. "Maybe his is dead. What's so urgent?"

"She hasn't said," Yugi replied, moving onto the next message, which was also from Ishizu. His heart hammered. "But she sounds really upset Becky."

/_Ishizu never gets upset_/ Yami pointed out.

/_I was just thinking the same thing_/ Yugi admitted. /_Whatever this is, it's definitely not good news._/

OOO

"I tried...I really did...I'm so sorry..."

"Shh...they'll work it out. I promise."

Amane was used to comforting people. In her state of living, she and Ryou had done it for each other many times, and she had done it for the few friends that she had too. Comfort was something that came naturally to her, and something that she thought she was good at.

But she had never had to comfort Akila before. The younger girl had always been the stronger one. She had been the one who had comforted her when she had made the decision to stay in the Dominion of Lost Souls, and when she had watched her brother spiral into grief and despair over the spirit that haunted his life, and the father who never visited. Akila was the one everyone looked to for help, advice and a shoulder to lean on. To see her in this kind of state was unsettling.

So while Amane knew that she desperately wanted to comfort the distraught Matriarch, she had not the first idea how to do so. Akila had lived long enough to know that there was very little that could salvage their situation, so Amane promising that everything would be alright was a foolish thing to do. All she could do was hug the little girl, as if to shield her from the creepy unsettling blackness of the Shadow Realm.

Around the two girls sat their fellow spirits from the Dominion of Lost Souls, trapped in cages of Shadow Magic. Some shared prisons, and cuddled their cell mates in fear. Some had broken into tears, and others just lay against the bars, staring blankly off into the darkness like abandoned dolls left to gather dust on a shelf.

Akila wiped the tears out of her eyes, and took a shuddering breath. Amane stroked her hair back off her face, her arms around her tightly, more for her own comfort than anything. She had never been to the Shadow Realm before, and she was already planning never to return if they got out. She and Akila had already tried calling their Ka to see if they could help, but it did not work. Akila had guessed that it was because they were technically in something of a pseudo penalty game – their monsters could not help them now, even if they had been able to summon them.

"But it worked, didn't it?" Amane asked, trying to grasp at some detail that might be able to help them. "Pulling Shadow Magic into your soul? It made you appear solid didn't it?"

Akila nodded, wiping her nose on the back of her hand. "Yeah...I was solid. He hugged me..." she chewed her lip to stop herself from crying again. "But then the Shadows knew I was gone, and they pulled me back in. We can't break out of this Amane. They've got to get us out."

Amane nodded. "Okay. But we can still give them some more warning. If you can teach me how to do that projecting thing, then I might be able to reach Ryou..."

She trailed off as a crack appeared in the darkness, sending light pouring into the group of cages. Some of the spirits cried out, and Amane shielded her eyes – the glare was harsh after so long spent in darkness. From the crack of light, a figure stepped in, the eye of Horus on his forehead lighting the way, a wicked looking knife clutched in a clenched fist. Several spirits let out screams of fear, and Akila stiffened in Amane's embrace. They both knew this figure – they had felt his magical signature when they had been pulled into the realm. He was the one responsible for the mess they were in.

"I have felt," the newcomer drawled. "That one of you has been attempting to contact the living world." His eyes were scanning the petrified spirits. "Now...you can make this easier on yourselves and just tell me which of you it was. Or we can do it my way...which is much more fun for me, as it involves you all begging for mercy."

He twirled the knife with a frightening smile, before crossing his arms expectantly. "So...anyone?"

Amane's arms were pushed aside, and fear raced through her system as Akila got to her feet.

"It was me," she said in a low, clear voice. "I went to the living world."

Goosebumps rose on Amane's arms, as the Dark One strode over to their cage, taking the sight of both girls in. Recognition appeared in those dark eyes, and Amane swallowed hard. He knew who they were. But Akila continued to glare, standing as tall as her four year old stature would allow, her chin lifted in defiance.

"I've heard my brother and his friends talk about you before," she was saying, her usually soft voice slowly growing harder and harder. "He called you a fiend. You've hurt people just for fun. You've made them live their worst nightmares over and over, and you had no problems seeing others suffer just to increase your own power..." she waved a hand at the cages. "Others like us. You're a horrible, bad person, and I've never wished death on anyone in my life before, but I hope Ammit eats your heart slowly!"

"Well well well," the Dark One knelt to Akila's eye level and pulled an amused smile to his face. "You must be the ninety ninth sacrifice...I suppose I should be honoured. Having a chat with your big brother earlier, were you?"

The blade slipped between the bars and rested just under Akila's chin. Amane could not help but gasp, even though rationally she knew that Akila could not be hurt – a dead soul had no substance, so he could not stab her even if he wanted to.

He seemed to realise this too, and he clicked his tongue in annoyance. "It's too bad – it was a good idea channelling Shadow Magic to your soul, but now that it's all gone, you're intangible again and I can't make you bleed."

For a horrible moment, Amane panicked that he would demand her to pull Shadow Magic to her soul again just so that he could have some fun. But Akila remained completely still, her expression never shifting an inch.

"You can't harm the dead," she taunted. "But you – you're no different to me. Just a spirit that can use Shadow Magic to flesh itself out, like big brother, and the Pharaoh. You're just as weak as me. If they took that knife and stabbed you right now, you would perish – you wouldn't even have a soul left to go to hell with!"

The Dark One tilted his head – Amane could almost see the wheels turning inside his mind as he tried to get the measure of the little girl spirit who stood straight and unafraid before him. What Akila lacked in power, she made up for in millennia of wisdom that he could only dream of achieving. Slowly, he lowered his knife and stood tall once more.

"I like defiance in a victim, little girl. But you may come to regret those words..." he licked his knife slowly. "And it sounds like I may need to teach your big brother a lesson..."

Akila's mask shattered as though she had just been struck in the face. She seized the bars of the cage and pushed against them. "No, you can't!"

The Dark One threw back his head and cackled. This was what he had been waiting for, Amane realised – he had never planned to hurt them. He just wanted to taunt them with the knowledge that their brothers would pay for their actions.

"I can! And you have no way of stopping me – think about that while you waste away in your cells!"

The Shadow Realm seemed to swallow him whole, and with him the last of Akila's fight seemed to drain away. She crumpled to the floor of the cell. Amane wrapped her arms around her, but she felt her own body shaking at the near miss.

"Please...Gods not big brother...please..." Akila was praying.

"It'll be okay..." Amane rocked her back and forth, feeling tears soak through her dress and into her shoulder. "It'll be okay..."

It was a lie, but there was nothing else that she could say. And it made her feel more hopeless than ever.

A gentle soothing glow came from behind them. Amane squinted, but the light source had no discernable shape. In her arms, Akila stopped crying, her watery eyes locked on the light in confusion. Distantly, Amane thought she heard a dragon roar, and Akila gasped.

"It's you! How?!"

The only answer was a comforting rumble, before the light faded gently back into the darkness. Akila was frowning, and Amane wondered if she even understood what had been said.

"I see..." Akila was muttering, before she sat upright, tucked her hair behind her ears, and put a determined face on again. "Right. Amane, I need to teach you how to draw magic. We need to warn our brothers, and he won't be expecting you to pop out in the living world."

OOO

"Forgive me my Lord...but...can we trust him?"

From the moment he had called the Death Eaters back, Voldemort had known that this conversation would take place. He was not happy that they felt the need to question his motives – his word should have been enough from them. But the fact remained that their latest ally was beyond unnerving – even to men as hardened and ruthless as his Death Eaters. It was certainly enough to make them question such an alliance.

"Of course we cannot trust him Dolohov! I am fully aware that he is as likely to fight us as the bearers."

Next to the cowering Dolohov, Albury also hung his head. Voldemort felt a twinge of irritation – he was not blind to the strange behaviour of this particular Death Eater in the last twenty four hours. He had probed the man's mind, and was not pleased with what he found – a period of blankness at some point yesterday where the man seemed to have no recollection of his activities. It had all the signs of a memory charm, however there was something very different about it – something that reminded Voldemort of a certain sinister individual who had been roaming his hideout in a carefree manner ever since their successful magic two days ago.

A scream echoed from a nearby room, causing both Death Eaters to flinch. Voldemort did not move from his spot, his mind deep in thought.

"_So my visitor has been probing the minds of my loyal servants..."_ he thought. "_I wonder just what he was looking for. It may be prudent to keep an eye on him..."_

"My Lord!" through the open door, Wormtail scurried in. "Our spy is in position, ready to carry out your orders!"

"Good," this was the first good piece of news that Voldemort had had all day, and immediately he put the Dark One out of his mind. "Have them Imperius the first two duellists they see, and challenge anyone on the list – an attack like this is bound to get the bearers attention."

He was cut off by another scream of agony from down the hall, and Wormtail bowed before scampering out in haste.

"What other news?" Voldemort tapped his fingers on his chair. Nagini slid over the back and coiled lovingly around his neck.

"My lord, the plans retrieved from Lucius's manor just after his demise indicates the perfect location for a hideout not too far from the Ministry."

"Excellent. Hasten our move there at once – I'm growing tired of this house." He frowned in irritation as the whimpering cry grew again. "And go silence that girl again, before I change my mind and end her snivelling permanently!"

OOO

By the time Harry, Ron and Hermione made their way up to the VIP box, Tristan and Serenity had already come back with the sandwiches and after a brief argument with the security, they had managed to get their friends upstairs to eat with them. Both had grave looks on their faces, and had only answered that they would explain in the box. Harry had almost forgotten about the drama of the day previously in the wake of the spectacular matches of the morning (Hermione had backed Mai in the second match, and consequently she and Ron had now broken even on their bets). The second he set foot inside the box however, his good mood evaporated – he knew even without asking that something was horribly wrong – and not just the earthquakes.

Joey and Duke were guarding the door like a pair of sentries, while Tea, Rebecca and Mai were talking quietly in the corner. Yugi and Ryou were bunched protectively around Malik, who sat on one of the sofas by the drinks machine in a hunched over position. His face was pressed into his hands, and though he made no sound, Harry could see from the slight trembling of his shoulders that he was crying.

For a moment, he wondered if the Egyptian boy was taking his loss to Mai badly, but he instinctively knew that was not the case – Malik didn't cry over losses in Duel Monsters, no matter how seriously some people took this game.

"What's wrong?" he finally asked. Yugi and Ryou looked up nervously, but Malik made no move at all.

"Something happened at the museum in Cairo," Joey explained quietly. "One of Malik's co-workers is dead, and his brother's been injured. It's..." he swallowed. "...pretty bad from the sounds of it."

Hermione gasped and Ron looked ill. Harry was racking his brains trying to remember everything he could about Malik's brother – finally he recalled the tall, bald man with tattoos and a serious expression on his face, and he felt a little sick himself – what on earth could possibly be powerful enough to take that guy down?

Ron seemed to draw the same conclusion as him. "Death Eaters?" he asked. Joey shook his head.

"Nah, they think thieves. They were in one of the secure vaults, and both of them were stabbed with one of the ceremonial swords from the collection."

Malik's whole body gave a noticeable shudder. For a moment, Harry wondered if he should say something or try comforting him – then he realised that it was pointless. There was nothing they could say that would make Malik feel better.

"I have to go home," he finally said. His voice sounded empty, and Harry felt horrified. Malik was always full of life, activity and his own loud opinions. To hear him sound so dead felt like an omen of darkness.

Yugi was nodding. "I'll go talk to Pegasus and the tournament officials."

"Do you want us to rebook your flights?" Ryou asked gently, and Malik shook his head in a jerky fashion.

"No. I'll do it myself. I just have to go."

He got to his feet and began pulling his jacket on. Harry saw Ryou watching him intently, before standing up too.

"I'm coming with you."

"No," for the first time, a little bit of life entered Malik's voice. "Ry, you have a match this afternoon. You can't miss it for me."

"Malik," Ryou looked a touch hurt by the apparent rejection. But Yugi was already getting up and standing between them.

"I'll go. My match is done for the day."

He pulled his jacket on with a certain firmness and finality that Harry would have expected from Yami, not Yugi. "Becky, Mai, do you think you can talk to Pegasus and the organisers for me instead?"

"Of course," Mai nodded firmly. Rebecca picked up her phone and flipped him a salute.

"You can count on us. Come on Mai, I know where Pegasus's box is."

"I'll go with you," Hermione volunteered. "With the aurors around and everything, it's probably not a good idea for you guys to be alone."

In the end, Ron ended up accompanying them too. Hermione was clearly torn somewhere between relief and exasperation, while Mai and Rebecca both whined that they did not need babysitters until Yugi and Joey both insisted. The group of four left quickly, leaving Harry to hover uncertainly beside Joey.

"Come on Malik. Let's get back, book your flights and get you packed."

Yugi pulled his dazed looking friend out of the box. Harry gave a wave, but Malik did not return it.

"He doesn't look good," Harry muttered moving to stand by Joey – the blonde was radiating an aura of protectiveness, and Harry took a small amount of comfort from it.

"That's why I wanted to go with him," Ryou mumbled in a low voice. "I don't want him to be alone. I wish I didn't have this stupid match this afternoon."

Harry went over the programme of events in his mind, and remembered that Ryou's match was the last one today against Seto Kaiba. Joey and Leon would be up straight after lunch.

"Man..." Joey muttered, running a hand over his face. "I thought just for once we might get through a tournament without something bad happening, or someone getting hurt. Then all this starts to happen. First the earthquakes, then Riley and Leon yesterday. Now this..." He took the offered sandwich from Serenity, but made no move to eat it.

Harry thought for a moment, and tried to remember a summer since he started Hogwarts when something bad had not happened to him. He pulled a face as he came to his conclusion. "Yeah I know how that feels. Don't think I've had a single uneventful June since I started Hogwarts."

Joey gave a humourless snort. "You'd think the universe would cut us a break once in a while, hey?"

"Yeah," Harry sighed wistfully. "One year we'll get a summer where the weird stuff happens to someone else."

"Hope so, man. I hope so."

OOO

"So...if Yugi won his match," Hermione was saying awkwardly. "And Mai, you won yours, does that mean that you two will face each other tomorrow?"

She tried to keep her voice light, but she was fooling no one, including herself. She was just trying to distract everyone from thinking too much about how horrible Malik must be feeling right now. Like the previous days, the duellists milled around the corridors in the VIP area, some were snacking on food, others chatting to friends and family. Koji had waved shyly to them, while a bandaged Leon had shot them a smile, before being dragging off by his drawling older brother. They passed Cody Morris, but thankfully, he just carried on walking with his eyes downcast instead of stopping to have another flirt.

"Yup. First match of the semi finals. And let me tell you, I won't go easy on Yugi," Mai gave a confident smile, but beneath it all, Hermione could sense a real burning from the woman – a strong desire to have this match for reasons other than tournament progression. She remembered Tea saying that their last match had been in Duellist Kingdom, and that must have been a long time ago. She must have been eager for a rematch.

"I still can't believe Malik lost," Ron was grumbling. "His deck is such a powerhouse I didn't think it was possible for him to lose to anyone...well except for Yugi obviously."

Perhaps sensing that Mai and Rebecca were a tad irritated by Ron's oblivious ramblings, Hermione swiftly cut in.

"Be thankful he did lose Ron – how do you think the tournament officials would take it if he had to drop out right before competing in the semi-finals?"

Ron whistled. "Yeah you're right. They would have thrown a fit. Okay, maybe it is a good thing he lost. Better to leave now, than have to drop out and screw up the tournament."

"Who's screwing up the tournament?"

They had turned into the ringside corridor, which led to the tunnels out to the stadium, and to Pegasus's private box. Peeking out from the tunnel entrance was Mokuba, slouched in a way that only a bored teenager could manage.

"Hey Mokuba," Rebecca greeted, with a wide smile. "What you up to?"

The black-haired Kaiba brother shrugged. "Big brother's doing a system check out in the arena – says he doesn't trust the technicians." He pulled a face. "So who's screwing up the tournament now?"

"Nobody's screwing it up," Mai paused in speaking as one of the aforementioned technicians hurried past looking frazzled. "But Malik got to go home right away." Mokuba's bored expression vanished, replaced with innate curiosity.

"What's happened?"

"Let's talk while we walk," Ron suggested. "It's a busy corridor."

It was indeed getting noisy in the corridor – two people who looked as though they may be film crew passed chatting noisily and carrying sandwiches as Rebecca explained the situation to Mokuba, who's face slowly became more and more disturbed as the explanation went on.

"Is Odion gonna be okay?" he asked.

"Shh! Keep your voice down!" Mai beseeched. At the fountain by the next door Hana and Ali paused in conversation to watch curiously as the group went by. Mokuba gave them a winning smile, and they returned it and went back to filling their sports bottles.

"Sorry," Mokuba whispered as they hurried along the corridor. "But is he alright?"

"Not really," Rebecca replied. "It's pretty bad. He lost a lot of blood before help could get to him, and they're not sure yet the extent of any internal damage."

Mokuba pressed his hands against his face and muttered an expletive that Hermione was pretty sure his big brother would never approve of hearing. Ron broke the morose mood with a giggle.

"Sorry, but that guys hair is ridiculous," he snorted. Hermione elbowed him in the ribs for being rude. Even so, she couldn't stop staring at the broad guy in the suit, with long brown hair that was styled into a dangerous looking point.

"_Takes a very secure man to have _that _hairstyle,"_ she thought to herself.

"That's Kemo. He's one of Pegasus's bodyguards," Rebecca couldn't stop herself from giggling too. "His box is right up those stairs."

As the genius lifted her hand to point, Hermione felt a shiver of apprehension run down her spine. The tension she had been carrying for the last couple of days since the confrontation with Cody in the entrance hall went into overdrive, and she reached for her wand without even thinking. There was a bang that sounded like a firecracker going off, and Hermione's vision was suddenly swamped with thick blackness pressing against her eyes. From the yelps, and curses of her friends, she knew they were experiencing the same thing. She blinked hard, but nothing she did could shift it.

"Hermione!" Rebecca called.

"Yeah I'm here!" the witch yelled, waving her wand. "_Lumos!"_ Nothing happened.

"What happened?" Mai asked, her voice hitting an edge of panic. "I can't see!"

"It's alright," Hermione called. "I think it's Instant Darkness Powder – it's a joke product from the wizarding world. I can't light my wand either. How about you Ron?"

Her question hung in the air. Feeling her own panic start to surface, Hermione reached out to where she knew Ron had been standing a moment ago. Her grasping hand could not feel anything.

"Ron?" she stumbled forwards.

"Mokuba?" Rebecca called, and Hermione realised that the younger Kaiba had been conspicuously silent too. "Mokuba!" There was a stumbling noise and the sounds of something snapping. "OW!"

"Rebecca! Are you alright?"

"Yeah, but I think I broke my glasses."

"Oh this is ridiculous!" Finding stability in her irritation, Hermione pocketed her wand and began to walk forwards to where she had heard Rebecca's voice. "Don't move. I'm going to try and find you."

Gingerly she shuffled her way along the floor, shaking her head as though that would dispel the darkness pressed against her eyes. Her left hand pressed into the wall, and she felt her way along it, her right arm outstretched until it came into contact with a clothed shoulder.

"Becky?"

"Yeah that's me," a hand came up to squeeze her own. "Mai, where are you?"

"I'm here."

The woman sounded terrified, and Hermione took Rebecca's hand and cautiously began to walk towards the corridor towards the voice.

"Mokuba! Ron!" Rebecca was continuing to call out. "Please say something if you can hear us!"

The silence drifted on, and Hermione felt a knot of fear in her stomach. "_He's fine...he's fine...they're both going to be fine..."_ she repeated the chant like a mantra.

"Mai?" Hermione felt a tug on her hand as Rebecca dropped to her knees. She joined her praying that Mai was not injured. But the woman merely appeared to be curled up on the floor. Her skin felt clammy, but she started to relax as she felt her friends grab her hand.

"Yeah. I'm okay..."

"It's alright," Hermione said, trying not to let her own fear shake up her voice. "It's going to be fine. Darkness Powder wears off after a while."

Mai gripped Hermione's free hand in a death squeeze. "Okay...sorry...I don't like the dark..."

"It's okay," Hermione repeated. "I'm not that fond of it either. But it'll be gone soon. Let's try and get out of range in the mean time. The powder only covers a certain area."

Together they felt their way along the corridor walls, until finally the black smog began to clear. Hermione blinked her eyes hard as though that would clear them faster. The white walls began to take shape fuzzily like watercolour painting with water slopped clumsily over it. Rebecca came slowly into focus first, clutching her glasses in her other hand – they were snapped right across the nose. Mai looked no better, her face ashen and her arms covered in goosebumps.

"Are you okay Mai?" Hermione asked, wishing she had a calming draught on her.

"Yeah...just reminded me of the Shadow Realm..." Mai shuddered. "I guess I freaked..." now they were out, she was looking a touch embarrassed. Hermione was shocked – Mai had been to the Shadow Realm? She had never mentioned it before and from the tone of her voice it sounded as though it had been more than a flying visit. She opened her mouth to ask more, but a squeal of fright interrupted.

"Oh my God, Kemo!" Rebecca's eyes were wide as the end of the corridor came into clear focus, and Hermione could not repress a shriek. The huge bodyguard who had been standing sentry outside the staircase, was sprawled on the floor, blood trickling from his forehead.

The knot in Hermione's stomach had evolved to the size and weight of a bludger. She wanted desperately to make the dark cloud behind them vanish – anything to find Ron and Mokuba faster. Horrible images of them sprawled on the floor in the same manner flooded her mind.

"Kemo!" Rebecca was tugging them towards the fallen security guard. The action seemed to snap Mai out of her own anxiety, and she was rooting in her rucksack for her first aid kit. Rebecca was shaking his shoulders. "He's not responding."

The black cloud behind them seemed to finally register properly in Hermione's mind, and she leaned over and gently pulled one of Kemo's eyelids back.

"He's stunned," she said, pulling out her wand. "It's a spell. I can fix it-"

"Put the wand down."

All three girls froze. The bludger sized knot in Hermione's stomach seemed to burst into an entire Quidditch match of horrified nerves.

"_No. No it can't be..."_

The wand was levelled at her forehead, and blue eyes that were usually focused in determination or round with confusion were now narrowed to a menacing glare. She felt sick.

"Ron wha..."

"You heard him," another familiar voice sneered. "Put it down."

"What the hell is going on?" Mai demanded. A streak of red shot from the murky corridor and Hermione barely managed to shove the taller woman out of the way. Both girls slammed into the wall, and Mai stumbled on her three inch heels. Rebecca yelped and scrambled back into Kemo as the darkness finally cleared. Mokuba and Ron stood side by side, eyes narrowed and glinting with a sinister spark, duel disks active and ready.

"_Since when does Ron have a duel disk?"_ Hermione found herself wondering vaguely through her fear. Seeing her friend raise his wand again, she hastily threw hers to one side.

"Good Hermione, always following orders," Ron sneered. "Now step away – we've got some business with your two friends."

"What the hell is wrong with you both?!" Hermione burst out. "Ron, when did you get a duel disk?!"

"A new friend," Ron replied, twirling his wand between his fingers. He stood proud and tall – so unlike his usual stance – with a confident smile that crossed the line into arrogance as he reached into his pocket and pulled something out.

Hermione heard Rebecca gasp, and she saw Mai shrink in horror against the wall. The Orichalcum pulsed in Ron's palm as Mokuba pulled out a small lump of his own.

"You were so busy trying to paw your way out of the darkness that you didn't see us opening our gifts," Mokuba's voice had a firm haughty tone that even his brother in his most maniac of moments could not manage. "It was very rude of you all."

"How could you?!" Rebecca screamed. "You know what that stuff does! And you just went ahead and took it!"

"Wait!" Hermione squeezed Rebecca's shoulder and stared hard at the redhead who smirked at her. The coldness in his gaze made her stomach turn, but she pushed her sight past it and tried to look through the haze of anger over his features and closely at the person she knew to be one of her best friends. Despite his outward anger and hostility, there was a blank quality behind his eyes. No other emotion seemed to surface in his mind.

The pieces fell into place in Hermione's mind with a snap.

"They're being mind controlled! I think it's the Imperius Curse!"

"Beg your pardon?" Rebecca asked, but Ron gave a slow sarcastic clap of his hands.

"Yup, trust the know-it-all to be all analytical. We're just letting ourselves go for a little while, but don't for a moment think that that makes us harmless, Mudblood."

A cold fury coursed through Hermione – now she knew for certain Ron was being mind controlled, because there was no way, Orichalcos or not, that he would ever use that word in relation to her.

"We'll deal with your little girlfriend later," Mokuba snapped, stepping forward and activating his duel disk. "We're taking on the duellists first."

"Bring it!" Rebecca yelled. "You're not going to get away with mind controlling our friends!"

"That's right!" Mai was right behind her, but Hermione could see that they were not up to this – Mai was still pale and shaky from her experience in the darkness, and without her glasses Rebecca was squinting hard at her duel disk.

A flowery voice cooed from behind the girls.

"Deary me, what a mess," descending from the staircase in his white designer shoes, Maximillion Pegasus swept his single eye over the scene. He looked to be surprised, but Hermione could tell from where she stood that he was in no way flustered, and despite the foppish vibe he gave off, he was a shrewd man. She hoped fervently that he was on their side.

"Who the hell are you?" Ron demanded. Pegasus tutted.

"Manners today," he shook his head. "I really do not know what has become of this generation. But to answer your question, I am Maximilliion Pegasus – as you are attending a Duel Monster tournament, I would hope, young man that you would have some idea as to who I am."

"They're being mind controlled, Pegasus!" Mai said urgently. Hermione was surprised – would this muggle really believe that the two young men before them were being brainwashed? But to her surprise he seemed to accept it without question.

"I see...then I assume that they were responsible for knocking out my dear Kemo too?"

Ron and Mokuba were both scowling, and Hermione could see Ron fingering his wand in a hopeful manner.

"Yeah. This Voldemort guy –" Rebecca paused momentarily, glancing to Hermione for confirmation. She nodded hastily. " – has brainwashed them, and now they want to duel us both."

"Hmm..." Pegasus rubbed his chin in a thoughtful manner. "Well that does not sound very sporting. Call me an old fashioned soul, but I do not think it is polite to pick on young ladies." He stepped forwards pulling a duel disk onto his arm. "I also believe I am the host of this tournament, and any mischief during it should be handled by the highest authority – namely me."

"You're barking!" Ron scoffed. "Can't you add up? There's two of us, and one of you – hardly advantageous in a tag team!"

Hermione cringed. The Imperius Curse clearly did not wipe away Ron's strategic thinking, and even though he was a novice at Duel Monsters, who knew how good he would be under the Orichalcos's guiding hand? And she remembered hearing that Mokuba was pretty good too. Pegasus may have been the creator, but surely even he knew better than to go against two opponents at once.

Clearly Hermione was not the only one thinking this, as Mai took a nervous step forwards. Rather than seem soothed by their newly found ally, she looking more horrified than ever.

"Pegasus, are you sure about this? You've lost to the Orichalcos before!"

She sounded hurt and ashamed as she spoke, and Hermione wondered what exactly was wrong with her. Pegasus merely chuckled.

"I am well aware of that, Mai Sweet Valentine. But...unless my ears are deceiving me, my help is on the way."

As Hermione cocked her head to listen, she too caught the click of boots on the floor. A figure in sweeping robes rounded the corner, and her jaw dropped open in surprise at the familiar half moon spectacles, and long white beard.

"Albus!" Pegasus sing-songed in a delighted tone. "You've lost weight!"

The headmaster of Hogwarts inclined his head. "And you've gained some."

Pegasus laughed. "Touché. Too many red wine spritzers at the office. They are full of calories."

"You know those robes make you look like a girl, right?" Mokuba's smug insults were so unlike his usual open and warm personality that it made everyone shiver.

"You two know each other?" Hermione burst out in surprise. Mai and Rebecca just stared at the old man with the flamboyant purple robes and silvery beard in a bemused manner. Professor Dumbledore chuckled.

"Indeed Miss Granger. I made it my business to research the Orichalcos in light of my new transfer students. I must have pried somewhere I should not have, for suddenly I found myself in a meeting with Mr Pegasus himself. I felt it only right to explain the situation in full given how personally involved he was the last time this ancient magic had been active."

"And we discovered that we shared similar interests in shoes and children's literature," Pegasus added with a winning smile.

"Yes well fascinating as this dating history is," Mokuba sneered. "We want to duel the two girls, not the two girly men!"

Ron however had gone quiet, his forehead creased in thought. Watching him closely, Hermione caught a faraway look in his eyes, and she frowned. He looked like he was trying to focus on a shout far beyond the range of human hearing. By his side, Mokuba's anger seemed to fade like a dimmer switch and he blanked out too, wearing the same look. It was slightly unnerving, and Hermione wondered if whoever was controlling them was as taken aback by Dumbledore's presence as she was.

"_Of course!"_ she thought to herself. "_Voldemort can watch events through the Orichalcos, just like he did in Kul Elna! He can see all of this! He won't want to just let Professor Dumbledore go! But will he want the Professor over Mai and Becky?"_

Apparently the boys had finished receiving their new mental orders, and they both looked at the Headmaster.

"Fine, we'll take you on! It's not like it'll take long. Then we can move on to the girls!" Mokuba announced. Ron flicked his duel disk into the _on_ position and took his place next to Mokuba, as Dumbledore swept down the corridor to stand next to Pegasus.

"Professor," Hermione had to ask. "Pardon my rudeness but..._can_ you play Duel Monsters?"

Albus Dumbledore gave his serenest smile. "I can indeed Miss Granger. Mr Pegasus here began teaching me himself about half a year ago – I am nowhere near the levels of Mister Mutou or even Misters Ishtar or Bakura, but I daresay I can put up a good fight.

"_Okay...so an expert and a novice on each team,"_ Hermione thought to herself. She supposed that did even the odds somewhat. "_Which makes the next question, does Professor Dumbledore have a duel di-" _she silenced her question as Dumbledore reached into a very deep pocket, and somehow managed to extract a duel disk. "_...never mind..."_

"Don't think about going anywhere, girls," Ron barked, seeing Rebecca sidle over to her friends. "Once we're done with these two losers, you're next!"

"If you win Mister..." Pegasus smiled in a slippery manner. "I'm very sorry; I did not catch your name."

Ron snarled. "It's Weasley! Ron Weasley! And my partner is-"

"Oh no need to introduce us," Pegasus oozed, all traces of good nature suddenly gone from his voice. "Mokuba and I know each other very well, don't we, my dear boy?"

"Shut it Pegasus!" Mokuba snapped. "You're a creep, and I owe you a crushing defeat from Duellist Kingdom! Now!" he gestured to the field. "Tag team rules are –"

"Let's decide in a fair manner," Pegasus swiftly cut in. "Coin toss?"

"We issued the challenge, we decide on the rulings!" Mokuba shouted.

"Oh but that's not very nice," Pegasus objected.

"Fine!" Ron snapped impatiently. "So we don't stand here arguing all day, heads!"

Pegasus pressed a button on his duel disk, and a holographic coin hummed to life, spinning above their heads for a moment before descending to earth with a clatter, the blank side facing up.

"Oh fabulous, its tails!" Pegasus grinned. "So I think we will be having American tag team rules."

"Heh! Don't want to tie yourself to an old man?" Mokuba sneered.

"I have faith in my partner," Pegasus said coolly. "Letting him have his own field simply means he will have more room to spread out."

Hermione racked her brains for any information she could recall about tag duelling – she remembered vaguely that American tag team rules meant that the players each had their own fields and separate life points, but they could not attack with or tribute each other's monsters. She had no idea what decks Pegasus or Dumbledore used, but from Pegasus's cryptic statement, she guessed that they might both use decks that filled up the field pretty fast – _swarming _she remembered Malik had called it.

"And I think we'll decide the turn order as well," Pegasus breezed on. "So I shall go first, followed by Mr Weasley, then Albus, and then Mokuba-boy."

"No problems here," Mokuba replied cockily. "That just means I get the first attack."

Seeming happy with this, the duel disks whirred into life, and the players each drew five cards.

"_If they have Orichalcos stones,"_ Hermione felt the blood drain from her face, as she realised the horrifying gravity of the situation. "_They might have those horrible Seal cards too! Oh God, please don't let them play it – I don't want any of them to lose their souls!"_

Her eyes fell on Ron, who blank face was wearing a mask of anger.

"_Please...let them be alright..."_

OOO

**A/N: **...no I'm not on drugs. I just want to take the prize for campest duel on the face of the planet. Review if you think I deserve such a prize.

Believe I may have inadvertently pinched a line from HBP in this chapter...don't care.


	8. Chapter 8: Child's Play

**A/N: **Finally back on track! This chapter is double the length, which hopefully will make up for the delay.

The unofficial title of this chapter is This Children's Card Game is Simply Fabulous!

I cannot take credit for this chapter at all. As I said at the beginning of this story, all duels would be plotted by far more talented authors than I. In this case, 7th Librarian was the talented author. He planned this entire duel for me, and I love him very much for it, because it turned out a million times better for having him steering it. And if you're into his duels, or into Blueshipping, then may I take this opportunity to plug his own work once more.

(sees 7th Librarian, as a fluffy white kitten curled in a ball drifting through the air like a dandelion spore) FLUFFY! (blows him around)

By the way, I have fulfilled one of my New Year's Resolutions, and started a blog, where I will be posting little bits of my own fiction (for this story, my novels, the ACMSES etc), character back-story and details for said stories, photographs and anything else I feel like putting up. It's not going to be a personal diary (that would only end in tears) – more of a scrapbook/visual diary. I'll pop the link on my profile page since it doesn't want to post here.

(pulls her dandelion kitty out of the air and into her lap, petting him like an evil genius)

And now back to your irregularly scheduled programming. Read on my pretties. Read on and click the review button...

OOO

**Chapter 8: Child's Play**

The last time Hermione had watched an Orichalcos duel, she had been pinned to a wall with magic, unable to move or help in any way. She had thought that was the worst – being an audience to a play that she did not want to see, just in case the conclusion turned out badly.

This time she was frozen in place by her own fear. She wanted to run away so badly this time, because she knew that no matter the outcome of this duel, someone she knew was going to lose their souls. The 'bad guys' of this fight included one of her best friends, and she was having to put her faith in a stranger and her novice headmaster. She was downright petrified.

"_If Ron and Mokuba win, then Voldemort wins and they get to attack Mai and Rebecca. But if Pegasus and Professor Dumbledore win, Ron and Mokuba lose their souls. Who do I root for?"_

Morally she knew who she was supposed to root for – but her heart was crying and screaming in protest, urging on the one it was bound to instead. She had always believed that her friends – especially Ron – would always be by her side in times like this. That was the way it had always been. But now she could be minutes away from losing one and she did not know what to do.

"_Harry...Yugi...Ryou...where are you guys? We need you."_

"Is Kemo alright?" she head Rebecca whisper. Mai was checking the security guard over, her hands working over and over in repetitive patterns – probably to distract herself, Hermione realised. She wished there was something that could distract her in the same way.

"He's alright. Just out cold," Mai replied. "I just want to keep an eye on him..."

"Stunning spells don't do any lasting damage," Hermione muttered, remembering the line of text from her schoolbooks. The familiar repetition made her feel a bit steadier. "They just knock you out. He should be fine."

Their heads snapped up at the first command from the duel. The four duellists stood, duel disks active, and their opening hands ready. Ever the master of ceremonies, Pegasus began his turn.

"Hmm...let's start off easy, shall we?" he crooned, selecting a card and activating it. "I will activate the spell card Magus Studies. Now I can add one level four or lower Spellcaster monster from my deck to my hand. And I think I'll choose one of the newer monsters in my deck – an interesting gentleman called Cartoonist."

The deck slot ejected a card from the side, and he took it instantly. It depicted a long haired man in a sweater vest hunched over a desk.

"Not a very good opening hand if you're already searching," Mokuba sneered.

"Perhaps," Pegasus nodded mildly. "Or perhaps it's a strategy. You'll just have to wait and see Mokuba-boy. For now I'll summon him to the field, lay two cards facedown, and call it a turn."

The harassed looking man appeared on the field in front of the creator, his desk hovering strangely a few inches off the ground (600/2100). The two brown-backed cards appeared behind him.

"Why did he put it in attack mode?" Hermione whispered in alarm.

"He's got two facedowns," Rebecca pointed. "He might be trying to feel the boys out – see how easily they can be lured into a trap."

"Isn't that a huge risk though?" Hermione asked.

"Pegasus is tricky," Mai said. "He runs a deck of monsters called Toons. They look harmless, but they're really deadly. Mokuba knows that, so he'll think twice about attacking."

"It's your turn, Mr Weasley," Pegasus said with a hint of irony in his voice. Hermione winced and hoped that Ron would not take it as an insult, but at least he wasn't calling him Ron-boy. As it was, the redhead chose not to say anything, but simply to scowl in Pegasus's direction as he drew. Hermione held her breath, but she saw the deepening of the lines between his eyes and she knew he hadn't drawn the Seal.

"I summon Shadowknight Archfiend in attack mode."

The fiend materialised, polished armour gleaming and completely at odds with the sharp black wings and demonic face hidden behind the helmet. It snarled angrily at the audience (2000/1600).

"Next I'll activate Foolish Burial," Ron plucked another card out and plugged it into his duel disk. He then moved to his deck and selected one card from within. "And use it to send Imprisoned Queen Archfiend to my graveyard."

He tossed the monster, and plugged two more cards in. "Finally I set two cards and activate Dark World Dealings. Now everyone draws one card and discards another."

Pegasus was eyeing Ron thoughtfully as he plucked another card from his deck and selected another for the graveyard. Hermione guessed he was trying to get the measure of her friend as a duellist. Her own prognosis was chilling. However he may come across sometimes, Ron was no fool. He was strategic, and the influence of the Orichalcos and Imperius curse had turned him into a deadly duellist. Mokuba shoved his cards furiously around as he made his selections, his eyes fixed into a permanent look of irritation that mirrored his teammate. To Hermione's surprise, Professor Dumbledore was smiling as he discarded his card and re-examined his hand.

"I end my turn," Ron declared, turning his furious glare on Dumbledore. Rather than appear fazed however, the headmaster merely drew and began his turn.

"Let me see..." the headmaster examined his hand through half-moon spectacles, before selecting a card. "Yes...why not? I shall summon Elemental Hero Bubbleman to the field."

He placed the card into the disk and bubbles burst on his field before clearing to reveal a man in a dark blue suit with heavy light blue shoulder pads, and a heavy looking scuba tank on his back. He wore a wrist mounted gun, and landed in combat position (800/1200).

Hermione wasn't sure what she had expected from the headmaster, but it was not a man in spandex. And apparently she was not the only one surprised.

"The hell is that?" Ron demanded impatiently. Mokuba on the other hand, was frowning, having clearly heard of them before. It was a beaming Pegasus who answered.

"One of my latest archetypes in the game. The Elemental Heroes are loosely based off comic book heroes. Albus and I have a little fondness for fantasy, and I recommended the series and the cards to him. Doesn't Bubbleman look fantastic?"

"That's one way of putting it..." Hermione muttered. She'd always known that brilliant men were often eccentric (and Pegasus and Professor Dumbledore were certainly both in equal measure), but this seemed a little too eccentric to risk.

"I wonder what they do..." Mai pondered, watching Bubbleman closely for any sort of clue.

"I'm sure we'll find out," Rebecca said. She was squinting hard at the field, and Hermione wished that she could get her wand and repair them. But with the duel so close, she did not dare use her magic and risk upsetting Ron.

"And now that we are all acquainted," Dumbledore continued. "As Bubbleman is the only card on my field, I can draw twice more." He plucked two more cards from his deck and examined them quickly over his half moon spectacles, before selecting another card.

"I shall now activate a spell card – The A. Forces. This gives all Warriors on this side of the field extra attack points for every Warrior and Spellcaster we have. And since my teammate has been kind enough to summon a Spellcaster, that's an instant boost for Bubbleman."

At his words Bubbleman (800/1200 – 1200/1200) glowed golden, and seemed to bulk up. Despite the boost, Hermione could not help but look at Ron's Shadowknight Archfiend and feel that both the warrior and Pegasus's Cartoonist were horribly outclassed.

"Relax hon," Mai soothed, squeezing her shoulder. "This is good. They're working in tandem, and using cards to help each other out. I doubt Mokuba and Ron's decks will synch so well. Trust me, they have an advantage here."

The headmaster of Hogwarts set two cards facedown before waving Mokuba on. The teenager drew fiercely, his eyes sweeping over his cards, and his mouth twisting cruelly.

"I'll start by activating Graceful Charity," he said, drawing three more cards and tossing two into the graveyard. "And now I activate Terraforming, and I know just what card I want!"

Mai and Rebecca gasped in horror, and Hermione racked her brains trying to remember what that card did. Dumbledore's eyebrows met in the middle, and Pegasus's stance stiffened ever so slightly.

"Mokuba no!" Rebecca yelled.

"Mokuba yes!" the boy snarled, yanking the deadly six pointed star from his deck and popping open his field card slot. Now it was Hermione's turn to gasp as the Seal of Orichalcos activated, shrouding both boys in the harsh green light. She scrabbled back as the barrier pushed its way out into the corridor, almost running over the unconscious Kemo as she went. On the field, Ron's Archfiend gave a shriek of bloodthirsty anger and its attack points shot up as the Seal marked it with its power (2000/1600 – 2500/1600).

Like reflections in a mirror, Ron and Mokuba looked up across the field, the Seals branded into their foreheads like glowing crowns. The viciousness on Mokuba's face multiplied and he yanked another card from his hand with relish.

"That feels _fantastic_!" he crowed.

"You don't mean that, Mokuba!" Mai shouted, but she knew it was pointless to argue with him. The Seal was out now, and it wasn't going anywhere. Pressed against her face, Hermione's hands trembled.

"_Oh God...they're going to lose their souls..."_

She felt sick.

"I summon X-Head Cannon in attack mode!" Mokuba yelled, slamming the card into his disk. The blue and yellow machine monster, with its twin cannons ready and pointing at the enemy, appeared and instantly began to glow at the forehead with the infusion of the Orichalcos (1800/1500 – 2300/1500).

"I activate the spell card, Machina Armoured Unit! Now if you destroy any of my Machine monsters, I can summon a weaker monster from my deck to replace it!"

Hermione swallowed. Replacing monsters, even weaker ones, could mean nothing good. Over the last two days she had seen whole duels turned around on the summoning of a single monster.

Mokuba paused for a moment, his eyes fixed on Pegasus's Cartoonist, still sitting in attack mode behind his desk. For a horrible moment, Hermione wondered if he would recklessly attack the creator. But after eyeing up Pegasus's facedown cards, the moment passed, and Mokuba shrugged and set his own card facedown.

"I end my turn! Do your worst Pegasus! You can't touch us now that we have the Seal on our side!"

"How can you say that?!" Rebecca shrieked at him. "After everything the Seal did to your brother!"

"No problem," Mokuba sneered at her. "I'm far stronger than my brother – I don't underestimate anyone like he does."

Hermione heard Mai suck her breath in through her teeth, and she guessed that this was the last thing anyone would expect Mokuba to say.

"My move then," Pegasus said, in his usual flowery tone. Only the way he held his shoulders and back ramrod stiff betrayed how unnerved he was. Hermione glanced at Mai and remembered what she had said about Pegasus losing to the Orichalcos before. He must be terrified, she realised.

"A little thing to know about my Cartoonist, gentlemen," the creator said, as he switched the aforementioned monster into defence mode. "He is the very creator of Toon World itself...in fact you might say, that he _is _Toon World itself."

"What are you getting at Pegasus?" Mokuba barked impatiently.

"Touchy," Pegasus shook his head. "What I'm getting at, Mokuba-boy, is that while my Cartoonist is on the field, he is treated as having the name and effect of Toon World. And as an added bonus, I can discard one card to add a card with the word 'Toon' in its name to my hand. So I'll do that now and help myself to Toon Table of Contents."

Next to Hermione, Mai's eyebrows arched in surprise, and Rebecca made a soft 'aah' under her breath.

"And I think I'll play it straight away," Pegasus continued. "Toon Table of Contents lets me search my deck for another Toon. I'll take Toon Mermaid this time."

He selected another card from his deck and placed it straight onto his duel disk. Straightening up from his slumped position, the Cartoonist furiously began to scribble on a piece of paper, and a shape began to take shape next to him. A jagged clamshell, with a pair of cartoon eyes on its head appeared, making funny gurgling noises before snapping open to reveal the green haired archer. She gave a devious laugh and plucked her bowstring threateningly (1400/1500).

"I don't get it," Hermione whispered. "Why didn't he just search for the Mermaid with the Cartoonist?"

"You'll notice that Pegasus has a very big deck," Rebecca nodded to the duel disk. Sure enough, Pegasus's stack of cards was at least one and a half times the size of Ron's. "He's thinning his deck out to increase the chance of drawing what he wants."

"Okay," Hermione nodded. "So what's this Toon World he keeps going on about?"

"Toon World is Pegasus's baby," Mai replied, when Rebecca shrugged. "His toons are one of a kind cards that get really huge bonuses when Toon World is on the field. You know how cartoon characters don't get hurt? Same principle here. And since they were special summoned..."

"Exactly as the lovely Miss Valentine says," Pegasus interjected, nodding his head to Mai. "I can still tribute them! So goodbye Toon Mermaid, and hello Toon Dark Magician Girl!"

Toon Mermaid's clamshell snapped shut before exploding into a giant pink bubble. As the Cartoonist furiously scrawled, the bubble popped, revealing a chibi version of the very monster in Yugi's deck. She giggled madly and zoomed around in a circle around the Seal before coming to a halt right over the Cartoonist's head (2000/1700).

"That's...just...weird..." Rebecca declared.

"You've lost it Pegasus," Mokuba drawled. "She doesn't have a hope of beating either of our monsters."

Pegasus tutted. "Now now Mokuba-boy. Don't you know that cartoons bend the rules? And my Toon Dark Magician Girl loves to bend the rules. She can attack directly. So go my dear! Make Mokuba-boy smile!"

The girl giggled madly and rummaged in a back pocket, before withdrawing a custard pie. With startling accuracy, she hurled it at Mokuba's face with a wet slap, and for a moment, the Seal of Orichalcos on his forehead was obscured by a thick layer of yellow dessert.

**Life Points**

Pegasus: 8000

Dumbledore: 8000

Ron: 8000

Mokuba: 6000

Slowly, Mokuba reached up and scraped custard off his face. As his eyes latched onto Toon Dark Magician Girl and Pegasus howling with laughter, the Seal seemed to flare brighter.

"I'm going to destroy you for that!" he hissed.

"Come now Mokuba-boy, where's your sense of fun?" Pegasus snickered.

Hermione did not find it funny, and neither did Rebecca and Mai, who were still watching the monsters anxiously. As Mokuba wiped the last of the mess off his face, urgent footsteps rounded the corner on the other side of the Seal. Everyone turned, and Hermione's spirits soared as the familiar faces appeared.

"Harry!"

"Joey!" Mai cried at the same time. Hearing their names, both boys stopped, their eyes going wide at the sight of the Seal. Joey opened his mouth to shout something, but he was instantly barrelled over by Kaiba, who skidded to a halt and froze at the sight of his little brother scraping cream out of his hair and regaining his cruel smirk.

"Oh look, it's the Chosen Duellists and the Boy Who Won't Die," Ron deadpanned.

"Mokuba, what do you think you're doing?!" Kaiba roared, shoving past Joey and slamming a fist into the wall of the Seal. "Did you do this, Pegasus, you snake?!"

"Use your brain, Kaiba," came the caustic sneer of Bakura. "Mokuba's the one with the Seal on his head, you moron!"

"Ron, what's going on?!" Harry demanded, staring in disbelief at the Seal on his best friend's forehead.

"They're being brainwashed!" Rebecca called from the other side of the Seal. "We were ambushed and they both started acting like this!"

Joey started swearing furiously (at who exactly, nobody knew), while Harry's jaw clenched as he took in the state of the field. Bakura just observed the Seal coolly before sweeping his gaze over the corridor for any signs of anything out of place. But Kaiba was in no way satisfied with the explanation.

"You should know better than to use my little brother in one of your mind tricks Pegasus-"

"Oh shut up already!" Mokuba had got tired of the ringside drama, and glared at his older brother. "Nobody asked you for your opinion, Seto! And guess what? We don't want it!"

Even from the other side of the Seal, Hermione could see the CEO reeling from the poisonous tone of voice.

"Mokuba-"

"I said save it!" the boy spat. "I don't need you anymore _big brother_. I surpass you now! All that time I've sat behind you and cheered when it should be me seizing the power! Well no more!" He rounded on his teammate. "Take your turn, already! Then we can get onto the real show!"

"You're not the boss of me," Ron growled, but he drew his next card regardless and immediately pressed a button on his duel disk. Hermione tore her gaze away from Harry pressing his hands against the Seal, and Kaiba furiously staring at his brother as though hoping he could reach him mentally, and put her head back in the game.

"Usually I'd have to pay life points in my Standby Phase to keep my Archfiend on the field," Ron explained. "But I'm going to get around that and activate my trap card – Overlapping Worlds!"

The trap flipped up, revealing a pink card with three different flat terrains stacking on top of each other. From the way Pegasus and Dumbledore narrowed their eyes, they both knew what this card did.

"Now I can banish a field spell from my hand or deck," Ron explained taking a green bordered card out of his deck and pocketing it. "And Overlapping World gains the name and effect of the card I just banished. And the card I banished was Pandemonium!"

Instantly the field changed, the floor beneath the Seal suddenly becoming an alternating chequered pattern of black and white. Hermione felt a chill – it reminded her of the giant chessboard that she and her friends had played on in their first year, and her eyes desperately locked onto Ron as she remembered what it was like to watch him crash to the ground in defeat...

Against her will, tears began to snake down her cheeks.

"Now I don't have to pay life points for any of my Archfiends," Ron announced proudly. "And because it's still my Standby Phase, and now I've got Pandemonium on the field, my Imprisoned Queen Archfiend in my graveyard activates her effect, giving one of my fiend monsters a one thousand attack point boost!"

He pointed to his Shadowknight Archfiend as it writhed and bulged beneath its armour (2000/1600 – 2500/1600 –3500/1600).

"Oooh not good," Rebecca muttered.

"No kidding," Hermione whimpered, straining to see through tears.

"No really not good," Rebecca explained. "That was a really well thought out move. He simultaneously got around his monster's drawback and made it stronger. A lot of duellists forget that they can choose the order of effects in their Standby Phase." She watched Pegasus and Dumbledore through the green barrier. "I hope they don't underestimate him."

"They won't," Hermione whispered. "I'm sure they won't."

"_I hope they won't,"_ she prayed to herself.

"Go my Shadowknight! Attack the Cartoonist with Hell Slash!"

The fiend snarled and launched itself at the terrified artist, who shrieked and tried to hide behind his desk. Pegasus exchanged a look with Dumbledore, and the headmaster pressed a button and flipped one of his facedown cards up.

"I activate my facedown, Bubble Shuffle. Now I can choose my Bubbleman and your Archfiend and shift them both into defence mode."

"Not likely, old man!" Ron spat back. "I activate Shadowknight Archfiend's effect!" A red die with black numbers appeared in midair and Ron caught it quickly. "If I roll a three, your monster's effect is negated!"

Dumbledore did not appear insulted or worried. He merely smiled obligingly at Ron. "Well then, let's see how this old man's luck holds, shall we? Roll the dice, Mr Weasley."

Snarling at being ordered around, Ron tossed the dice into the field. It rolled beyond Shadowknight Archfiend, who was still poised over the desk, ready to skewer the cowering Cartoonist at a moment's notice, and bounced to a stop besides the desk, revealing the number five. Ron swore, as his Archfiend backed off and he and Bubbleman both knelt in defence mode.

"That's much better," Dumbledore smiled. "And now the second effect of Bubble Shuffle lets me tribute Bubbleman to summon a new hero. And I think I'll summon my friend Elemental Hero Bladedge!"

Bubbleman popped into nothingness, and with a luminous glow, a larger monster appeared in the space he had been. Its entire body was a brilliant golden metal that made Hermione shield her eyes from the glare as it grew in size from the effect of The A. Forces (2600/1800 – 3200/1800). Rebecca whistled.

"Not bad...I wonder what else these hero monsters can do."

"I swear," Kaiba was growling. "If either of those two hurt Mokuba-"

"Oh wake up, Rich Boy!" Joey looked about ready to slap his rival around the head. "Mokuba's the one who played the Seal here!"

"When I want your opinion Wheeler, I will ask for it!" Kaiba snarled back at him. "My brother is my business, so stay out of this!"

"Oh just shut up Seto!" Mokuba snapped again. "I know you hate not being the centre of attention, but don't worry – once these two losers are washed up, and their souls have gone to the Dark Lord, you can take their place in centre stage!"

"Mokuba, that thing on your head is messing with your mind!" the CEO roared, but Mokuba seemed to have decided that he was not worth responding to now.

"Are you finished showing off?" Ron snapped at Dumbledore.

"Yes, quite finished," Dumbledore said, serenely, as though they were merely having a disagreement over the tea.

"Then I end my turn," Ron muttered grudgingly.

"Excellent," the headmaster said, pulling a card from his deck. "You know Mr Weasley, it is very rare that a student can teach a teacher. But since your Overlapping World trap card worked so well for you, I think I shall give it a go."

He pressed a button on his desk, and his second facedown card swung up to reveal a copy of the very trap that Ron himself had used the turn before.

"Oh come on!" Mokuba exclaimed. Pegasus and Dumbledore exchanged knowing smiles.

"What fools do you gentlemen take us for?" Pegasus chastised. "We know what kind of menace has been stalking the duelling world for the past year. It was only sensible to make sure that we were both prepared should we find ourselves in an Orichalcos match."

"You're both fools to have ever accepted this challenge!" Ron sneered. "But then I suppose the mind is the first thing to go..."

"For the record, I'm only twenty six, young man," Pegasus corrected, before turning to his partner. "Now Albus, am I correct in thinking that you were about to banish Skyscraper for your Overlapping World's effect?"

"Indeed I was," the professor nodded with a smile, selecting the card and tucking it into a pocket of his robes. Immediately the chequered ground beneath their feet began to rumble, giant buildings pushing their way out of the floor and rocketing up to surround the duellists. "And now whenever any of my Elemental Heroes battle a stronger monster, they gain a thousand attack points for that battle."

Hermione's eyes widened. With just one card, Dumbledore seemed to have turned the odds back in their favour.

"Now then," Dumbledore said. "I believe that someone was asking what my heroes could do?" he turned and surveyed Rebecca through the wall of the Seal with a kind smile.

"Yeah," Rebecca shuffled closer to the field, and even Hermione felt excitement race through her body.

"Well then, watch closely," the headmaster urged. "You see, like all superheroes, the Elemental Heroes work best when they team up. And that's what I will do now. I use Polymerization to fuse my Elemental Hero Avian and Elemental Hero Burstinatrix!"

A swirling portal appeared above his head, and the ghostly forms of a green monster with a feathered headdress, and a woman in red spandex appeared briefly before they were sucked into the vortex. From within, a muscular green figure with what looked like a red dragon head emerging from its arm appeared. It was a true fusion of both monsters, and it seemed to swell under the power of The (2100/1200 – 2900/1200). With another monster on the field, Bladedge glowed even brighter than before (2600/1800 – 3400/1800). Hermione's head reeled at the attack points.

"What is that?!" Ron yelped.

"This is Elemental Hero Flame Wingman," Dumbledore introduced.

"That's some really tough monsters," Joey whistled.

"I didn't know Professor Dumbledore could duel," Harry sounded completely awestruck.

"Give me a break!" Mokuba scoffed. "Teamwork? Puh-lease!"

"Oh were you in your usual mindset young man, I have doubts you would dismiss my strategy so quickly," Dumbledore said sadly. "But since you're not in your usual mindset, I shall carry on by activating Hero Heart. This halves Flame Wingman's attack points, but allows him to attack twice." He paused to give Wingman's points a chance to adjust (2900/1200 – 1450/1200). "Now my Flame Wingman, attack Mr Weasley's Shadowknight!"

As Flame Wingman leaped into the skyscrapers above, his attack points shot up again (2100/1200 – 1450/1200 – 2450/1200) and he descended on the crouching knight. In a burst of flames it was instantly incinerated. Ron ground his teeth together.

"Don't get too cocky, old man!" he warned. "He was in defence position, so I didn't lose anything."

"Oh yes," Dumbledore said, in an absent minded tone. "When Flame Wingman destroys a monster he delivers damage equal to the attack of the destroyed monster."

"WHAT?!" Ron yelped, as Flame Wingman appeared right in front of him, dragon arm raised. There was a moment's pause before flames erupted around his feet and smothered him within.

**Life Points**

Pegasus: 8000

Dumbledore: 8000

Ron: 5500

Mokuba: 6000

"Please don't say 'what', Mr Weasley," Dumbledore corrected. "Its 'pardon'."

"You'll pay for that, old man!" Ron hissed. Professor Dumbledore gave no response, and Hermione got the distinct impression that the elderly wizard had not relished that victory, or attacking his student at all. She allowed herself to hope. Maybe Pegasus and Professor Dumbledore could find a way out of this without anyone getting hurt.

"And now for my second attack," Dumbledore continued. "Flame Wingman, attack Master Kaiba's X-Head Cannon."

In a perfect mirror of its earlier attack, Flame Wingman vanished into the steel canopy, before descending on the cannon in a rush of attack points (2100/1200 – 1450/1200 – 2450/1200). The machine did not move an inch as it melted into a puddle of slag on the floor. Mokuba on the other hand hissed as his points went down.

"And now, Flame Wingman deals you some more damage," Dumbledore reminded, as Flame Wingman dropped into view in front of Mokuba and fired its dragon cannon. Mokuba howled from within the inferno, and Kaiba began spitting threats that nobody could hear over the noise.

**Life Points**

Pegasus: 8000

Dumbledore: 8000

Ron: 5500

Mokuba: 3550

"I'm not helpless!" Mokuba retorted, once he had regained his breath. "Because now my Machina Armoured Unit activates, letting me special summon a Machine monster who had the same attribute but less attack than that monster that you just destroyed. So out comes my V-Tiger Jet!"

Where X-Head Cannon had been a moment ago, there now appeared a blue fighter jet, with a tiger's head where the cockpit should have been. Straight away, the Seal of Orichalcos appeared on the front of the vehicle (1600/1800 – 2100/1800).

Dumbledore for his part just shrugged and nodded to Bladedge, the only one of his Heroes yet to attack. In the blink of an eye, the shining hero was gone and Mokuba's jet was neatly cleaved in two.

**Life Points**

Pegasus: 8000

Dumbledore: 8000

Ron: 5500

Mokuba: 2450

"I activate my facedown – Loaner Delivery!" Mokuba recovered instantly, flipping his facedown card to reveal the image of a fighter jet being blown out of the sky. "Since a Machine type monster was destroyed, I can summon a level four or lower monster from my deck. I choose Z-Metal Tank!"

Rather than a standard military tank, the Z-Metal Tank was a yellow and blue machine with a curved body over its treads, and a single eye in the front of the cockpit, which immediately glowed under the dark magic (1500/1300 – 2000/1300).

"A very nice comeback Master Kaiba," Dumbledore nodded. "I end my turn."

"I don't need your compliments!" Mokuba growled, drawing from his deck furiously.

"Wow, he's cut Mokuba down really far," Mai whispered.

"That's not a good thing," Hermione reminded them. "I don't want any of them to lose their souls..."

"That may not be possible," Rebecca said sadly.

"I activate the spell card, Soul Absorption!" Mokuba announced, plugging it into his disk. Rebecca and Mai both hissed.

"What?" Hermione asked.

"Soul Absorption grants Mokuba five hundred life points every time he banishes a card," Rebecca explained. "If he's activated it he must be going for his big guns!"

"Now I activate Junk Dealer," Mokuba continued. "And with it, I special summon X-Head Cannon and Y-Dragon Head from my graveyard!"

At his word, the monsters appeared, next to Z-Metal Tank. As per the effect of Mokuba's spell card, their scores were halved and their bodies covered in rust and dirt like a pair of toys in a scrap yard.

"When did that Y-Dragon get in his graveyard?" Hermione asked. "And why does he want them back at half power anyway?"

"Graceful Charity, in his first move," Mai reminded her.

"And if you're done with the backseat duelling," Mokuba said irritably. "I banish all three of my monsters to special summon their next level of power! Come forth, XYZ-Dragon Cannon!"

Before the eyes of the startled spectators, the Y-Dragon Head folded itself up and attached itself to the Z-Metal Tank with a snap and screech of metal. X-Head Cannon landed on top, attaching and securing its position as the head of the new, more dangerous looking artillery (2800/2600 – 3300/2600).

Across the Seal, Hermione saw Kaiba gnashing his teeth, and she guessed it must be killing him to see Mokuba play so well but know that he was under the influence of an evil wizard.

"Here come the life points," Hermione heard Joey groan, and sure enough, Soul Absorption began to glow and Mokuba's life point total ticked back up to a healthier amount.

**Life Points**

Pegasus: 8000

Dumbledore: 8000

Ron: 5500

Mokuba: 3950

"Oh and it gets better!" Mokuba announced. "You see along with my Dragon Head, I discarded my Alphabet Soupercharger with my Graceful Charity last turn. And since I just fusion summoned an XYZ monster, I can now add it to my hand again!"

The graveyard spat out the spell and Mokuba immediately discarded it once more.

"And now I discard it again to use XYZ-Dragon Cannon's effect! Blow that annoying Cartoonist off the field!"

A whir of gears drowned out the gasp from Rebecca and Hermione, as the gun raised and took aim at the Cartoonist. The unfortunate man tried to hide behind his desk again, but it was no good as the energy built in the barrel and blasted its way across the field with devastating force. The Cartoonist evaporated in the glaring energy, and Toon Dark Magician Girl screamed in terror and faded from view with her creator.

"Hey Pegasus," Mokuba sneered. "Your animator suffered a fatal heart attack!"

Pegasus pressed his free hand to his forehead. "Ooooh noooo!"

There was something melodramatic about the way he said it, that made Hermione pause. Had Pegasus planned that to happen? He'd just effectively lost his key card, and all his monsters. Did he have some other kind of strategy waiting in the wings?

"And since I discarded Alphabet Soupercharger for an XYZ effect," Mokuba continued as though he hadn't heard Pegasus. "I can draw two cards. So since I've got all this ammo, let's put it to good use!"

He shoved another card in his graveyard, and pointed across the field. "Blast that Bladedge to atoms!"

Hermione had to give Bladedge his due – he did not flinch as the cannon realigned itself and fired, evaporating him instantly and leaving no trace that he ever existed.

"Now it's Wingman's turn!" Mokuba snarled, his face savage as he shoved another card into the graveyard and brandished a finger at the unfortunate hero. "FIRE IN THE HOLE!"

This time, Hermione could not watch, and she ducked her head behind Rebecca's shoulder as the powerful blast ripped through Wingman. Unlike Pegasus, Dumbledore did not look amused or dramatic in the least. He just stared at Mokuba, his eyes unfathomable. Hermione shivered. Beneath that exterior, she sensed a deep controlled fury – not at Mokuba, for he was helpless under the magic – at the source of this destruction. The Orichalcos and Voldemort were the villains here.

"_Making us fight amongst ourselves...this is how Voldemort intends to fight," _Hermione thought sadly. "_And it will work. Because at the end of the day, none of us want to inflict destruction upon our friends. And we cannot and will not Seal them away."_

"Now I could blow the old man to ash," Mokuba mused. "But I've waited years to get a piece of you Pegasus! So XYZ-Dragon Cannon, blast Pegasus and make him sorry he ever messed with me!"

This time, the cannon's aim turned to Pegasus, who scowled and braced himself. Even so, the blast sent him flying into the wall of the Seal, and Rebecca shrieked as he crumpled to the ground.

"Pegasus, are you okay?" Mai asked urgently. Across the Seal, Joey and Harry shouted encouragement, but Hermione could not help but notice a flicker of pleasure going across Kaiba's face. The seriousness of the situation was not enough to stop him taking pleasure in Pegasus's misfortune it seemed. Hermione's limited respect for Kaiba diminished further.

"Ooh and this was a clean suit," Pegasus sounded out of breath, but he got back to his feet and dusted himself off as best he could.

**Life Points**

Pegasus: 4700

Dumbledore: 8000

Ron: 5500

Mokuba: 3950

Mokuba was cackling like a man possessed.

"That was worth every second rotting in your dungeon with no soul, Pegasus!" he cried. "I end my turn!"

Pegasus straightened up completely and draw another card. In spite of his apparent recovery, Hermione could see his hands shaking. The Orichalcos it seemed, made the attacks far more real than a simple hologram did.

"I play Pot of Greed," Pegasus announced, allowing the giggling green jar to appear before plugging another card in without drawing. "And to it, I chain the card Serial Spell. Now I can discard my entire hand –" he dropped his one remaining card into the graveyard. " – and the effect of Serial Spell now becomes that of Pot of Greed. And since chains work in reverse order, that means I draw four new cards."

"Chains?" Harry asked.

"Don't ask," Joey insisted, as Pegasus drew his four cards and beamed.

"Oh excellent!" he enthused. "Now I can show off my newest creation!" he faced his audience. "You're all about to see the latest addition to my Toon World collection. But first, I shall use my second Toon Table of Contents to add it to my hand. And since it works so well for you Mokuba-boy, I shall activate my own Soul Absorption too!"

As a duplicate of Mokuba's card appeared by his side, his large deck spat out a card from the side, and he seized it enthusiastically. If he were any younger, Hemione would have expected him to bounce.

"Are you all ready to be amazed?" Pegasus crooned.

"What is it?" Mokuba deadpanned. "A cartoon castle?"

Pegasus gave a knowing smile.

"Very close actually Mokuba-boy. It is not in fact a castle...but a whole magical fairytale kingdom!"

He plugged the card in and a vortex appeared in the middle of the floor, spluttering and sending a book flying out from the depths.

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" Pegasus announced grandly. "Welcome to Toon Kingdom!"

The book exploded open like a firecracker, belching colourful streamers and loud music all over the arena, as a shining white and purple castle erupted from the pages. Both Mokuba and Ron looked torn between disbelief and disgust.

"Isn't it just charming?" Pegasus preened. "And unlike Toon World, I don't need to pay life points to activate it. I just have to banish five cards from the top of my deck. But oooh look! I have Soul Absorption to ease the pain!"

**Life Points**

Pegasus: 7200

Dumbledore: 8000

Ron: 5500

Mokuba: 6450

"So that's why his deck is thicker than normal," Rebecca snapped her fingers. "It's a pain that it helped Mokuba too."

"I always knew Pegasus was obsessed, but this is ridiculous," Kaiba grumbled.

Joey gave a funny hacking cough that sounded remarkably like "Blue Eyes". And were Hermione's eyes being deceived by the towering skyscrapers, or did Kaiba actually stiffen at that remark?

"So what does this thing do exactly?" Ron asked, unimpressed at the white castle that revolved on the book.

"You'll see my dear boy," Pegasus assured him. "But first I'll boost my hand a little by activating Allure of Darkness. Now I can draw two cards, however I must then banish a Dark Monster from my hand." He pulled two more cards from his deck and quickly slipped another card into his pocket.

**Life Points**

Pegasus: 7700

Dumbledore: 8000

Ron: 5500

Mokuba: 6950

"And now I'll use Monster Reborn to bring back my good friend Cartoonist!" Pegasus announced. Toon Kingdom belched out a cloud of smoke, and the flustered artist appeared once more, crouched behind his desk in defence mode. "And I'll use his effect, discarding one card to add a Toon card to my hand!"

He ditched another card and tugged a new one from his deck. Hermione could not recall someone burning through their deck this quickly before, but at least he had enough cards to compensate.

"Are you going to sit there, picking new cards all day?" Ron demanded, tapping his foot impatiently.

"For as long as necessary, Mr Weasley," Pegasus smiled. "So moving right along, I shall activate Shadow Toon, which lets me choose one of your monsters and inflict damage equal to its attack points to its controller. And I think I'll pick Mokuba-boy's XYZ Dragon Cannon!"

Mokuba hissed through his teeth as something rumbled ominously behind him. He turned to find himself staring down the barrel of a shadowy copy of his own Dragon Cannon. The blast exploded in his face at point blank range, sending him skidding into the field painfully.

**Life Points**

Pegasus: 7700

Dumbledore: 8000

Ron: 5500

Mokuba: 3650

"Cheap shot, Pegasus!" he growled.

Ron was equally unimpressed. "I'd expect more from the creator of the game. You've got a lot of spells, but I don't see many monsters. Your power is nothing without the arsenal to back it up!"

"This isn't like you Ron!" Harry snapped from the other side of the Seal. "When have you ever relied on power alone?! You're the strategist!"

"Well maybe that's where I've been going wrong over the years!" Ron snarled back, his eyes flashing in anger at his friend. "Maybe I've never had the chance to grab power because famous Harry Potter is always in charge! Always the leader! I'm just the grunt that everyone thinks is stupid! Well what do you think now? Not so stupid now, am I?!"

"Debatable..." Hermione heard Kaiba grunt. An angry outburst was on the end of Harry's tongue, but Joey held him back.

"Bitterness is not the way to power, Mr Weasley," Dumbledore declared sadly. "It only leads to your own defeat."

"Oh and what would you know about bitterness?" Ron spat at the headmaster. "You're as high as a kite half the time, wandering around the school humming to yourself! Bitterness, anger, fear – those are the driving forces behind everybody! I'll bet you've never had an angry thought in your life! That's why you're so weak!"

"Ron!" Hermione cried, half reproachful, half devastated. How could Ron be so callous? A hand clasped her shoulder and she met Mai's sad eyes.

"Don't bother hon. There's no reasoning with them when they're like this."

"Don't talk about me like I'm not here!" Ron yelled, furiously. "I'm fed up of everyone acting like I don't exist!" He threw another bitter look over his shoulder at Harry. "Even now you're all targeting my partner because you don't think I'm a proper threat. Well I am a proper threat! And I'll prove once and for all that you don't underestimate me! I'm not weak anymore!"

He rounded on Pegasus. "Are you finished over there?!"

"Not quite," Pegasus shook his head. "But I thought it better to let you express yourself before I continued-"

"Well I'm done now!" Ron interrupted impatiently. "So get on with it!"

Rather than look offended, Pegasus shrugged. "Very well. I activate Comic Hand!"

He plugged the last card in his hand into his disk, and from one of the towers of Toon Kingdom, the gloved hand appeared, waving at the audience before zooming across the field.

"This card lets me take one of your monsters and turn it into a Toon!" Pegasus grinned. "And I'll take that nasty Dragon Cannon of yours Mokuba-boy!"

"I don't think so, Pegasus!" Mokuba snapped. "Go, Dimension Explosion!"

His facedown flipped up, and XYZ Dragon Cannon began to demolish itself into pieces right before their eyes. The Comic Hand froze in midair, unsure where to grab first.

"Now I return my Dragon Cannon to my fusion deck, and we can summon two monsters that are banished," Mokuba announced, pocketing his XYZ Dragon Cannon with the rest of his fusions, and rummaging for two of his banished cards. "So I'll bring back X-Head Cannon and Y-Dragon Head, in attack mode!"

Both robots appeared, their appearance marked instantly with the Seal (1800/1500 – 2300/1500) (1500/1600 – 2000/1600).

"Well that was generous of you," Pegasus conceded. "And since as Mr Weasley pointed out, I am a little low on monsters out, I must thank you! I shall bring back Toon Goblin Attack Force and Toon Masked Sorcerer!"

Hermione had lost track of when half of Pegasus's monsters had been banished, so she did not even try to recall when it had happened. She simply arched an eyebrow in surprise as the green cartoon goblins appeared and immediately began to play cards over their pot of stew (2300/0). Toon Masked Sorcerer, robed in pink and with a face covered by a steel mask, sat down next to them and was quickly dealt in (900/1400).

The sight was completely ridiculous, but Hermione did not laugh. There was nothing funny about this. Her head was still ringing from Ron's outburst.

"Well I guess that's my turn over with," Pegasus shrugged, waving his empty hands at Ron.

"About time," the redhead grunted, drawing, and studying his cards quickly. Hermione could almost see the gears at work. "I'll use my own Monster Reborn to special summon Infernalqueen Archfiend back from my graveyard! But I'm chaining Inferno Reckless Summon to it, so now I can summon all my copies of my Queen, wherever they may be!"

At this, Pegasus and Dumbledore's confidence evaporated on the spot, and both of them frowned in concern as three identical figures appeared robed in purple. They did not look like queens, but demons with glowing red eyes and spiked ruffs around their necks. One queen rolled a shoulder slightly, revealing a skeletal arm which quickly vanished into the folds of the cloak as the Seal appeared on each of them (900/1500 – 1400/1500).

"Scared yet?" Ron asked.

"Not really," Pegasus shook his head. "You see, Inferno Reckless Summon also allows me to summon as many copies of a monster as I like. So I'll bring two more Goblin Attack Force to the field!"

He placed both cards on his duel disk, tripling the number of goblins on his field and leaving them all jostling and pushing for a space around the campfire. One goblin started frying sausages, and Masked Sorcerer pulled another two decks of cards out of nowhere and began to deal the newcomers in to the game.

"That won't save you!" Ron taunted. "Infernalqueen Archfiend's effect gives all Archfiend monsters on the field a thousand extra attack points – and with three of them...well," he sneered at Dumbledore. "You're the teacher. You work the numbers out."

As he spoke all three of his Queens began to swell, their cloaks falling behind their backs as their bodies expanded out and towered over the field. Hermione was reminded of a similar queen who had towered over them and leered down at Ron before knocking him down and out (900/1500 – 1400/1500 – 4400/1500)

"Not the second rate sidekick am I now, _headmaster_," Ron glared.

"You're never second rate!" Harry put in, hurt at the suggestion. "You're our best friend!"

"Shut it!" Ron snarled, venomously. "You have no idea what it's like to never be good enough. You're our precious headmaster's Golden Boy," he spat the words out like poison. "Give the information to Harry but don't bother clueing his sidekicks in – after all, it's not like they risk their lives every bloody time. If they need to know they can get bits and pieces from Golden Boy. He's the hero, we're just accessories –"

"Stop it Ron!" Hermione pounded a fist against the Seal, causing magic to ripple and crackle against its surface. "How can you say that?! You're just as important as the rest of us!"

"Who asked you?" the redhead gave her a disgusted look. "You're just a sidekick like me – only difference is I know I can be better than a sidekick." He snorted. "For someone who's supposed to be bright, you're being pretty damn stupid right now." His look suddenly became cruel. "Shouldn't expect much from the girl who's dumb enough to believe I could ever be interested in her."

He couldn't have hurt her more if he'd walked up and plunged a knife in her heart. Despair, astonishment, embarrassment and fury rumbled their way through Hermione's head like the roar in her ears, and eventually the despair won out. Her legs didn't feel like they were attached to her anymore, and she could feel herself sliding down the wall of the Seal towards the ground. A pair of strong hands grasped her shoulders and pulled her back and away from the twisted pleasure on Ron's face.

"It's not him, hon," Mai whispered in her ear. "It's the Orichalcos."

"Maybe she is stupid," to everyone's surprise, it was Kaiba who spoke up. "But I don't see her using magic tricks as a crutch to make her feel better about her low self-esteem."

"Shut up Seto!" Mokuba stepped in, at the same time Ron told Kaiba to go do something that caused Pegasus to tut, and Mai to cover Rebecca's ears.

"You don't get to tell me what to do," Ron was mad enough to spit fire at the CEO. "I'll be more powerful than even you, you stuck up rich git! I already have three monsters on the field that could rival even your precious Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon. And I know just what to do with them!" He jabbed a finger at the old headmaster and barked. "Infernalqueen Archfiend, attack the old man and teach him how to respect true power!"

The first queen cackled before sprinting across the chessboard. Dumbledore and Pegasus exchanged a look for the briefest moment, before Pegasus spoke aloud. "I send my Toon Goblin Attack Force to intercept the attack!"

The Goblins that had been enjoying their game of poker, suddenly dropped their cards, and a third of them raced to stand protectively in front of Pegasus's partner.

Ron laughed coldly. "It doesn't matter! It'll just clear a path to your own life points for later! Destroy it my queen!"

She tore through the small gang of green beasts with a single slash, causing them to dissolve amongst the spilt stew and scattered playing cards. The rest of the Goblins shrieked, and one even made an offensive hand gesture in her direction.

"I thought you said his Toons couldn't die!" Hermione hissed.

"They can't," Rebecca explained. "But only when they're on Pegasus's field. Since he switched control of them to Dumbledore they lost Toon Kingdom's protection."

"One down, two to go!" Ron sneered, already predicting what Pegasus would do, as the creator tensed with his fingers over the duel disk buttons for his other two Goblins. "Queen two and three, attack the old man, and if any more of his stupid monsters get in the way, destroy them!"

The Goblin's, at Pegasus's request, did get in the way, forming two long lines that they tore through like pieces of paper.

**Life Points**

Pegasus: 7700

Dumbledore: 1700

Ron: 5500

Mokuba: 3650

"It's almost the end for you _headmaster_," Ron mocked. "Too bad you won't be around to watch everyone else fall to us, including your precious Golden Boy."

He tossed a particularly eager smirk in Harry's direction before setting a card facedown and sneering at Dumbledore. "Nothing to say? Or am I not worthy of your snivelling explanations either?"

"I make no explanations," Dumbledore's voice was low and very sad. "For what explanation could I give? You're a smart young man, Ron. You know no words would be satisfactory to you, or repair my perceived slights against you-"

"_Perceived!"_ Ron spluttered, but Dumbledore continued undeterred.

"We all do actions that seem the best to us at the time. And your efforts are certainly no less commendable than those of Harry, or anyone else who was in the Department of Mysteries a year ago. I confess, I am often blinded by care – for all those under my protection, including my students like yourself. That is the first concern with any of my decisions."

Hermione didn't know what surprised her more – Dumbledore's frankness or the fact that the headmaster had addressed him by his given name.

"Whatever," Ron snorted. "Stand there and preach all you want, but you know what? I'd bet my last Knut that you're not as selfless as you'd like everyone to believe, right _headmaster_?"

It had to have been a trick of the flashing green light from the Seal, Hermione hoped. Because for a horrible moment, she thought she had seen Dumbledore flinch. But all she saw in that instant was the same sad blue eyes behind the glasses.

"I think I should get on with my move," Dumbledore said, a touch of his usual serenity back in his voice. He drew, and his hands were as steady as ever.

"About time!" Mokuba huffed. "I was getting sick of Confession Hour."

Ron shot him a filthy look, but said nothing.

"I shall activate Legacy Of A Hero," the headmaster said. "Now as I have two level five or higher Heroes in my graveyard I can draw three cards."

He plucked three from his deck and examined them briefly before selecting one.

"I now activate the continuous spell card known as Future Fusion. Now I can send Fusion Material Monsters to the graveyard from my deck and special summon their Fusion right away. I can't attack with them on the turn they are summoned, but that won't be an obstacle for this hero."

Even as he spoke, a swirling vortex opened high above one of the skyscrapers, and the ghostly forms of two heroes appeared momentarily before dissipating into the void. One was a hulking stone-like figure with a tiny head, and the other was a skinny form in a helmet, blue spandex and yellow armour.

"So, by sending Clayman and Sparkman to my graveyard, I can summon Elemental Hero Thunder Giant," Dumbledore had just finished the introduction when the new monster descended from the vortex. His skinny legs were clad in purple, with huge bulky gold armour bubbling up around his torso and arms. His hands were tipped with lethal looking claws, and as he thudded to the ground, lightning leaped from them and left scorch marks in the ground (2400/1500).

"Oooh he looks fabulous!" Pegasus gushed. "I know my art is excellent, but I really must send my compliments to Kaiba-boy's graphic designers for such wonderful rendering!"

"Woohoo," Mokuba said sarcastically. "Maybe I would be worried if it could actually attack. But like the old fossil said – it can't."

"And I believe I also said, he doesn't need to!" Dumbledore had gone back to his smile now. "You see, Master Kaiba, not only does Thunder Giant get a boost from The A. Forces, but he also has a rather useful effect." Even as he spoke, lightning was gathering around the hero, striking out violently at the Seal and the ground as its points went up (2400/1500 – 3000/1500). "When he is Fusion Summoned, I can destroy one monster in play who's original attack is equal to or less than Thunder Giant's."

"What?!" Mokuba was incredulous, and Ron started swearing under his breath.

"I believe there is nothing wrong with your hearing," Dumbledore pointed out. "So Thunder Giant, destroy one of those Archfiends."

The energy in Thunder Giant's hands seemed to swell like a storm itself, but Ron just scoffed.

"You remember what happens when you want to pull those kind of stunts on my Archfiends? You have to be lucky!" the dice appeared again and began to spin. "A two or a five, and your effect is negated!"

Hermione pressed her hands up against the Seal again like a child at the aquarium, as the dice clattered to the floor and rolled steadily over, its faces coming up with the two traitorous dots. Ron smirked, and the lightning seemed to swell violently before rushing back at Thunder Giant, crushing him under its power and causing him to burst into dust. Above their heads, the vortex of Future Fusion slowly closed.

"Well, how do you like that?! I can look after myself, after all! Don't need the headmaster to babysit!"

"Indeed, very well played," the headmaster inclined his head. "But I have a few more tricks up my sleeves. I shall activate a card known as O-Oversoul to bring back Elemental Hero Sparkman."

The blue and gold armoured monster materialised, this time right before the headmaster. He crouched into a battle-ready stance and stared down Ron's three Archfiends with little apparent fear (1600/1400).

"What use is he?" Mokuba said, shrugging carelessly.

"All heroes have their uses," Dumbledore said, with a pointed look at Ron. "They're not much of a team unless they can support each other. And in this case, Sparkman is very helpful. I shall activate my spell, Metamorphosis, which lets me swap Sparkman out for a Fusion monster of the same level. So I'll welcome his distant cousin Elemental Hero Spark Soldier to the field!"

The new monster descended, armour flashing like hazard lights in a building sight. He looked more military than superhero to Hermione, being more heavily armoured than Sparkman, and the colours were inverted leading up to the diamond shaped helmet. It blinked with power in a way that made Hermione's eyes ache, and its points immediately shot up thanks to The A. Forces (1600/1400 – 2200/1400).

"He's just as useless as Sparkman!" Mokuba exclaimed. "He didn't even gain any points!"

"Well that would have been a waste of a good card," Pegasus said.

"He too has an interesting effect," Dumbledore explained. "You see, once per turn when he battles a monster, that monster is switched to defence mode. So why don't we try this again – Spark Soldier, attack the Archfiend on the left!"

Ron growled. "If you want that effect to work, you still have to win the dice roll!" the cube appeared in the centre of the board again and clattered across the chequered field. This time it rolled to a stop on six, and Joey and Bakura whooped in joy as the Infernalqueen Archfiend fell to her knees in defence mode.

"And in case we forgot," Dumbledore added pleasantly as the lightning began to build once more, this time around Spark Soldier. "My Skyscraper card has not gone anywhere!"

Even as he spoke, Spark Soldier's attack points shot up a further one thousand (1600/1400 – 2200/1400 – 3200/1400). The military looking her didn't even bother to move from its spot, planting its feet firmly in the ground and allowing the lightning to burst from his hands, incinerating the Queen and causing her to dissolve in a whirl of black dust. With the loss of their comrade, the other two queens suddenly shrunk down to a slightly less intimidating size as their attack points dropped by a thousand each.

Hermione felt relief flutter in her chest. "It worked that time!"

"Yeah, but Ron's still got two left," Rebecca pointed out. "And they've each got the strength of one of Kaiba's Blue Eyes apiece. It's not over yet."

Dumbledore seemed to realise this too, and quickly took the last card from his hand and setting it in facedown defence position next to Spark Soldier, and ending his turn. Mokuba drew with ferocity.

"If you thought you'd seen the last of my monsters you're sadly mistaken. I banish my X-Head Cannon and Y-Dragon Head to summon XY-Dragon Cannon!"

The two monsters detached and combined into their new form. Not as threatening as Mokuba's previous monster, but with the Seal imprinted there it looked just as frightening (2200/1900 – 2700/1900). Almost immediately both copies of Soul Absorption on the field began to glow and Pegasus and Mokuba's points readjusted themselves. Mokuba's graveyard spat out a card and he grabbed it with flourish.

**Life Points**

Pegasus: 8700

Dumbledore: 1700

Ron: 5500

Mokuba: 5150

"And because I summoned it, I get Alphabet Soupercharger back from the graveyard. But I'll ditch it straight away for my XY-Dragon Cannon's effect, which lets me blow a spell or trap straight off the field," he shot Pegasus a nasty look. "Give you three guesses what I'm going for."

Rebecca gasped. "He's going for Toon Kingdom!"

"No duh, I'm going for Toon Kingdom!" Mokuba exclaimed. "READY! AIM! FIRE!"

Hermione only had a glimpse of Pegasus's face – the corners of his mouth twitching – before the blast streaked across the field. To everyone's astonishment, Toon Kingdom snapped shut and dropped like a stone neatly into the open desk draw of The Cartoonist, who closed it firmly and leaned back unconcerned in his chair. Behind him, Masked Sorcerer donned a pair of sunglasses as the blast sailed over their heads and slammed into the wall of the Seal instead.

"_What_?!" Mokuba raged, and Pegasus's twitching mouth was now graced by a full smirk.

"Oh silly me," he effused. "Did I not mention that while The Cartoonist is on the field, Toon World – and by extension Toon Kingdom – cannot be destroyed by card effects?"

"You neglected to inform us of that," Dumbledore politely informed his friend, while Mokuba screamed and stamped a foot hard on the ground.

"Why won't you just _die_?!" the boy roared.

"Cartoons don't die, Mokuba-boy," Pegasus reminded him calmly, and with a hint of confusion that almost looked genuine. "I thought everyone knew that." Mokuba's rage seemed to focus directly at Pegasus, and he yanked another two cards from his deck for Alphabet Soupercharger's secondary effect.

"Doesn't matter," he announced after a quick scan of his hand. He picked another two and discarded them carelessly. "I can do this as many times as I want! XY—Dragon Cannon, destroy the old man's Overlapping Worlds and The A. Forces!"

This time there was nothing to stop them, and Dumbledore's cards evaporated beneath the furious heavy blasting. The skyscrapers crumbled around them and Spark Soldier's points dropped to their modest original score (1600/1400).

"And now that that's out of the way," Mokuba announced cockily. "Attack that annoying Cartoonist! Dragon Cannon Burst!"

The terrified animator dived under his desk again, but Pegasus casually reached into his pocket and pulled a card from his banished stack. There was a funny clapping noise of air being sucked dramatically into somewhere it hadn't been, and the Cartoonist simply popped into nonexistence, leaving the attack to fizzle out once more (Toon Masked Sorcerer adjusted his sunglasses).

"What the hell was that?!" Mokuba raved like a madman, the Seal flaring brightly on his head with frustration.

"It's called Hammerspace Mallet," Pegasus explained. "And when it's in my banished pile, I can send it to the graveyard when a Toon monster is attacked to negate the attack and switch the attacking monster to defence mode."

Sure enough, XY-Dragon had dropped to the ground, powered down, lowered its gun and folded its wings over on itself. The Cartoonist reappeared with a pop, wiping his brow. Mokuba spat out a furious curse that made Kaiba scowl.

Hermione was doing some quick calculating in her head, and frowned. "Why didn't he use that trap to save one of his Goblin's when Ron attacked him earlier?"

"Pegasus created this game," Rebecca put in. "He knows every card in the world, and he knows just what Mokuba can do with an XYZ deck. He knew it was better to save that trap for something like this. If he'd used it to save the Goblins earlier, Toon Kingdom would have been defenceless."

Hermione's head was swimming. Layer upon layer of strategy was starting to give her a headache, so she pushed it aside and reassured herself once more that Pegasus knew what he was doing. A brown backed card appeared in front of Mokuba and he jerked his head at Pegasus.

"Marvellous!" Pegasus announced, drawing and fishing in his pocket again. "As it's my Standby Phase, another of my banished card's effect activates." He pulled it out and showed it to the players. "It's Card From a Different Dimension, and because it was banished last turn, I now add it to my hand. And we can all draw two cards." He smirked. "Aren't I a generous host?"

"Generously nuts, maybe," Mokuba scowled, but drew regardless. Pegasus wisely ignored the jibe.

"I activate the continuous spell card, Toon Bank."

It was a small effect, but noticeable – two of the windows in the palace of Toon Kingdom suddenly warped and flashed up a pair of dollar signs like a cartoon cash register (complete with sound effects) before green bills began to burst out of the windows like a fountain. Toon Masked Sorcerer took off its glasses and began to skip around in the falling money in what looked like a very psychotic rain dance.

"This useful little card is a wise investment," Pegasus continued. "Now every time I inflict battle damage with one of my Toons, I get to draw another card." He paused, and smirked, all trace of childish joy gone. "And I plan to make some hefty withdrawals. But first my good friend The Cartoonist will let me add another Toon card to my hand."

The selected card popped out of his deck and he took it quickly, but did not place it on the Duel Disk.

"Now first things first – Toon Masker Sorcerer, you've sat still long enough! Attack Mr Weasley with Terror of the Clown!"

The spellcaster reached into its ginger hair and plucked out the giant comically oversized daisy that resided there before vanishing in a flash. Ron's Infernalqueens looked around in confusion, and Ron scowled, scanning the field cautiously for any sign of the wayward Toon. Unseen by him, Toon Masked Sorcerer appeared in a puff of pink smoke behind him, and pulled hard on the stem of his daisy. Water squirted violently from the flower, soaking Ron to the skin instantly. Pegasus chortled merrily, and Toon Masked Sorcerer gave a snicker before vanishing back to the correct side of the field with another puff of smoke.

**Life Points**

Pegasus: 8700

Dumbledore: 1700

Ron: 4600

Mokuba: 5150

"Oh yeah, really funny," Ron snarled, wringing out his shirt.

"Really? I thought so too!" Pegasus giggled. "And now I can draw twice thanks to Masked Sorcerer's effect, and my Bank. Cartoons are so rewarding! And now that it's my second Main Phase, I get to activate this!"

A new card appeared, this one depicting a stream of camera film with images of Toon Masked Sorcerer soaking Ron to the skin.

"This is a useful little card," Pegasus explained. "Is Toon Rollback. It lets me conduct my first Main Phase again! But if I choose to have my Battle Phase again, I'm not allowed to attack with any Toons that have already attacked."

"So the move was pointless, since you only have one monster," Mokuba pointed at Toon Masked Sorcerer, who was carefully replacing the daisy in his hair.

"Not for long, Mokuba-boy," Pegasus cooed. "You see I'm tributing my Masked Sorcerer and The Cartoonist for my favourite little guy!"

The two monsters had a moment to blink, before they darted into the castle of Toon Kingdom. A pink dust cloud poofed into existence in the middle of the field and from within, something snarled adorably.

"A warm round of applause!" Pegasus announced. "For my Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon!"

The miniature version of Seto Kaiba's famous monster popped out of the dust cloud, its eyes bulging comically, a drawling hiss exploding from its mouth before it zoomed a few times around Toon Kingdom, showing off (3000/2500). It was a gross parody of the raw power of Kaiba's Blue-Eyes, and Hermione chanced a look at the CEO across the Seal. Sure enough, the muscles in his jaw were clenched tightly with fury.

"How dare you use that twisted thing against my brother, Pegasus!"

Mokuba turned to sneer. "What's this? Afraid it'll beat me, like it beat you, Seto?" Hermione heard Mai gasp – that had clearly been a very low blow. "Well you can relax. My duelling skills are far more powerful than yours, and this isn't your pathetic excuse for a deck I'm playing with. The oversized man-child over there doesn't stand a chance."

Pegasus looked around in confusion, before pointing at himself as if to say 'me?'

"That thing is messing with your head!" Kaiba tried again.

"No it didn't," Mokuba dismissed. "It opened my eyes to more power than you could even hope of achieving. Now shut up. I have a duel to win!"

He had no sooner finished, when Pegasus's final four monster slots on his field were filled by four fluffy balls of wool that bleated serenely across the field.

"Usually," Pegasus explained. "Scapegoats cannot be used for tribute summons. But as I said before, my Toons do love to break the rules, and their summoning is counted as a special summon. Which means I can tribute one of them now to special summon this cuddly little guy!"

Lightning struck the tallest tower of Toon Kingdom and from the topmost window emerged a dark skeletal fiend with yellow eyes and a huge mouth. He leaned as far out of the window as he could, stuck his tongue out at Ron and Mokuba and waved it madly (2500/1200).

"Meet Toon Summoned Skull!" Pegasus was beaming.

"Where does he get all of these?" Rebecca asked. She hadn't seen Pegasus duel personally, and whilst she was aware of his overall strategy, she had not seen many of the individual Toons in action. Hermione could only tremble as she remembered that Pegasus's monsters could attack directly, did the maths and realised that he could easily wipe either Ron or Mokuba out at this moment.

"Maybe I'd be worried," Ron snorted. "If either of your Toons could attack. But I've been paying attention. Most of them have to wait a turn after summoning before they can attack, isn't that right?"

"A very shrewd observation," Pegasus nodded. "Indeed, I do have to wait a turn before most of my Toons can attack. But haven't you learned let that I like bending the rules?" He waved a card in his hand. "And with my Mischief of the Time Goddess card, I can do just that!"

The blue haired deity appeared in the middle of the field, waving her sceptre and chanting with a wide grin on her face. When she was done, she blew a kiss to Pegasus before vanishing.

"She's adorable!" Pegasus said. "And she lets me skip forward, past all your turns and on to my next Battle Phase, which means none of my Toons are restricted! So Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon, you first! Attack Mr Weasley directly!"

Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon vanishing into the familiar pink dust cloud, before popping into existence again behind Ron. Ron whirled just in time to see the chibi dragon appear right in front of his face, and blast him at point blank range with a vicious White Lightning attack. Ron was sent sprawling on the field, his face and hair charred completely black and smoke rising slowly. Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon cackled before returning to Pegasus's side.

"And next up to bat against Mokuba-boy, Toon Summoned Skull! Lightning Strike!"

Toon Summoned Skull seemed to take the command to heart, tossing a ball of lightning into the air, pulling a baseball bat out of nowhere and walloping the energy towards Mokuba. It struck him hard in the stomach and electricity ripped up his body. He shrieked and crumpled to his knees.

**Life Points**

Pegasus: 8700

Dumbledore: 1700

Ron: 1600

Mokuba: 2650

Hermione released a breath that she did not know she had been holding. "He didn't beat them."

"Of course he didn't," Mai said, tearing her eyes away as Pegasus drew two cards from Toon Bank. "Pegasus doesn't want anyone to loose – not before they find a way to tie the duel!"

"Is it even possible though?" Hermione asked, desperately. Mai looked away and Rebecca squared her jaw at the duel. Feeling suddenly helpless again, Hermione directed her eyes to the match. Pegasus was selecting another card, and Dumbledore stood beside him, still wearing the same controlled fury towards their enemies.

Dumbledore would never let them lose their souls, Hermione though. He would give up his own soul first. She didn't know Professor Dumbledore that well, but she was sure as she spotted the resignation starting to set over his features, that he would willingly lose if it meant no harm coming to Ron and Mokuba. But would Pegasus do the same? Or did he have some kind of plan to draw as Mai said?

"Pegasus has lost to the Orichalcos before, you said?" she asked. To her surprise, Mai flinched.

"Yeah...he lost."

That settled it, Hermione though. Pegasus wouldn't give up his soul again. Not for any reason. And in all honesty, she wasn't sure any of them would think less of him if he did refuse to lose on purpose. Surely it wasn't right to ask him to go through that again.

The urge to deny this as selfishness and protect Ron at the cost of anybody welled up again and she fought down the urge to scream at the injustice of the situation.

"I activate Magic Reflector," Pegasus was saying. "Now I place a counter on Toon Kingdom, and in the event it would be destroyed, the counter takes the hit instead. And with one set card, that ends my turn."

He waved a hand airily in Ron's direction, as the redhead staggered back to his feet, rubbing the side of his head. The charred blackness had vanished from his face, but he was still smoking, giving the unsettling impression that his hair was on fire. Slowly he drew and seemed to snap back into action.

"I'll target one of my Infernalqueen Archfiends for the effect of my Imprisoned Queen Archfiend in my graveyard."

The queen on the left grew back to her towering size from before, leering down at them and sending both of Pegasus's Toons fleeing for safety behind Toon Kingdom, both their knees quaking audibly (900/1500 – 3400/1500 – 4400/1500).

"And now, because I have an Archfiend on my field, I can normal summon my Terrorking Archfiend from my hand!" Ron continued, slapping the next card down. The new monster was huge and hulking beneath silver and black armour, muscles bulging out grotesquely beneath the metal as the Infernalqueens moved closer to it. Its clawed fingers clenched a wicked looking blade and it leered down across the field as the Seal branded it, sending the Toons into a fresh wave of knee-quaking terror (2000/1500 – 4500/1500).

Pegasus smiled sympathetically at his Toons. "Nobody likes a terrified Toon, so I think I had better put a stop to that!" He pressed a button and his set card lifted. "I activate the trap card, Overworked! Now all your monsters whose attack scores are greater than their original scores are destroyed!"

"WHAT?!" Mokuba exclaimed, and Ron looked mildly horrified that his strategy and indeed, the Seal itself could backfire on them in this way from just one trap card. The two Infernalqueen's and Terrorking Archfiend seemed to swell and bulge beneath their costumes, before bursting into blood and flesh, while Mokuba's XY-Dragon Cannon beeped frantically before exploding into a fireball. Their entire field was suddenly empty.

"You'll pay for that!" Mokuba raved.

"I warned you," Pegasus tutted. "I've been prepared to fight the Orichalcos since I was made aware of its comeback. I'm not so foolish to exploit all its weaknesses!"

"This magic has no weaknesses!" Mokuba spat.

"Not a big deal," Ron assured his partner. "I've got another strategy. I'll use Pandemonium's effect – because an Archfiend was destroyed by card effect I can add a lower level one from my deck to my hand. I choose Vilepawn Archfiend."

The deck obligingly ejected the card, and he took it. "I also activate the effect of the Desrook Archfiend in my hand – I can discard it and bring my Terrorking Archfiend back from my graveyard!"

The Rook slid into the graveyard and Terrorking Archfiend rose tall and menacing once more, though slightly shorter due to the absence of the Infernalqueens (200/1500 – 2500/1500).

"Ron's not a professional, you said?" Rebecca asked quietly.

"No," Hermione shook her head. "He only picked up that deck two days ago."

Rebecca whistled. "Whoever's controlling him is a professional to be this good with it."

"Or the Orichalcos is giving him a skill boost," Mai added darkly.

"I don't think so," Hermione replied. "Ron's really good at stuff like this. Always has been. He shines in strategy games. He picked up most of the basic rules from Yugi and everyone when they were at Hogwarts, and he's followed all the duels here with no problems – having a deck of his own just gave him the opportunity to practise himself."

She cast her gaze across the field again towards her friend. Outwardly Ron gave no sign he had heard her, going on to pick his next move, but she knew from the way he seemed to stand a little straighter that he had heard her. Was he bristling at Rebecca's insinuation that he wasn't good on his own? She really hoped not – the last thing she wanted was to watch him get angry again. But he just pressed his next card into the duel disk and ignored them.

"I activate the spell, Promotion! In chess when a pawn reaches the eighth rank, they can be upgraded to a more versatile piece. And that's what's happening now! Because I have Terrorking Archfiend in play, I can discard Vilepawn Archfiend to summon a new monster from my deck! And the monster I choose is Skull Archfiend of Lightning!"

The fiend that now materialised on the field looked like a darker version of Yugi's Summoned Skull, and it only grew more sinister as the Seal appeared between its curved horns. Its muscles bulged beneath a bleach white exoskeleton. Across the field, Toon Summoned Skull peeked curiously out of Toon Kingdom, only to flee with a shriek once more, as Skull Archfiend roared at it, claws flexed and ready to strike (2500/1200 – 3000/1200).

"And now for another spell," Ron continued. "Last Will lets me summon a monster with less than fifteen hundred attack points to the field because my Vilepawn was sent to the graveyard. So out comes Darkbishop Archfiend, in my back row!"

A new fiend appeared, robed in purple with a matching tall puffy bishop's hat on his head. He carried a sceptre with a skull on the end of it, and he smirked creepily across the field (300/1400 – 800/1400).

"Oh no!" Mai groaned. Hermione too had forgotten that the Orichalcos gave players a back row of monsters, and if her memory served correctly, she remembered that you needed to clear out the front row before you could get to the back.

"Terrorking Archfiend, attack that set monster!" Ron ordered, pointing at Dumbledore's facedown card. "Locust Storm Barrage!"

A cloud of grey seemed to belch from Terrorking Archfiend's mouth, buzzing like a storm of angry insects. Dumbledore's monster flipped up to reveal a lithe looking grey metal dog with streaks of blue energy all over it.

"That was Wroughtweiler," Dumbledore explained. "And his effect-"

"Doesn't work," Ron informed him instantly. "Terrorking negates the effects of all monsters it destroys in battle."

Rather than seem annoyed or upset, Professor Dumbeldore's mouth twitched into something resembling a smile. "Then no Polymerization for me. Never mind. Please continue."

Ron shrugged and waved a hand at his next monster. "Skull Archfiend of Lightning – Blast Stream of Fury!"

Electricity rocketed towards the Archfiend like crackling javelins. With a roar, Skull Archfiend absorbed them, the energy forming a ball in its clawed hands, before releasing it with a tremendous bang at Spark Soldier.

"I hadn't forgotten Spark Soldier's effect," Ron said, as Dumbledore opened his mouth. "But that just activates Darkbishop's ability. When one of my Archfiend's is targeted, I roll a die and if the result is one, three or six, the effect is negated and the monster destroyed."

Ron tossed the dice into the field, and the face came up with a two. He shrugged.

"No problem. Now Skull Archfiend's effect activates because your monster targeted it with an effect." He grabbed the dice again. "If the result is one, three or six, the effect is negated and destroyed."

"My head hurts!" Joey exclaimed, from the other side of the Seal, but Ron tossed the dice regardless. This time it rolled up at a six, and he grinned.

"Bye bye now!" he mocked, waving at Spark Soldier as the lightning seemed to unfreeze from its position in midair, striking hard and causing him to burst into pixels.

**Life Points**

Pegasus: 8700

Dumbledore: 300

Ron: 1600

Mokuba: 2650

"Well as you say, Mr Weasley," Dumbledore nodded. "No problem. For you see, now Spark Soldier's second effect activates. When he is destroyed I can banish a light attribute Elemental Hero from my graveyard to negate all the damage done to me for the rest of the turn. So I shall bit Sparkman adieu, and now none of your other monsters can touch me."

He pocketed the card, and a shadowy form of Sparkman appeared for just a moment before vanishing. Ron shrugged.

"Whatever. I'll set two cards and call it a turn."

"An excellent turn it was," Dumbledore complimented, drawing and studying his hand. A smile crept across his face. "And now it is mine."

"Oh go on then!" Mokuba cajoled. "Bring on more useless teamwork to try and put a dent fruitlessly in our ultimate power, if it really makes you feel better! It'll just make it more entertaining when we wipe the floor with you."

"Jeeze...he even sounds like Rich Boy when he's pissed off," Joey muttered. Bakura nodded in agreement. Kaiba broke his gaze from his little brother long enough to shoot them both filthy looks.

"Oh really?" Dumbledore asked. "Then this is not teamwork that you are doing now, by partnering up in a tag duel?"

"A means to an end!" Mokuba snorted.

"Oh thanks! Thanks a lot!" Ron rolled his eyes. "See if I back you up when you need saving!"

It was the most animated Ron had sounded for quite some time now, and the hairs on the back of Hermione's neck stood on end.

"A shame," Dumbledore shook his head. "I suppose the teamwork of heroes shall help prove my point better. I activate Fifth Hope. Now I can shuffle five Elemental Heroes from my graveyard into my deck and draw two cards. But since this was the only card in my hand, I can draw three instead."

The discard slot spat out five cards – Bubbleman, Thunder Giant, Spark Soldier, Bladedge and Clayman out, and Dumbledore shuffled them all back into his deck, save for Thunder Giant, which he added to his Fusion deck once more. He then plucked three fresh cards off the top of his deck.

"Excellent! I shall activate E-Emergency Call, adding one Elemental Hero from my deck to my hand – I shall choose Bubbleman once more!"

He took the card and immediately summoned the monster. The bulky blue Hero reappeared once more, taking aim towards the two boys.

"And because Bubbleman is the only card on my field, I can draw two cards," Dumbledore went on, pulling another two cards free. "I shall now activate R-Righteous Justice, which allows me to destroy a spell or trap on the field for every Elemental Hero I control."

"You can't destroy the Seal!" Mokuba objected. A twinkle entered Dumbledore's eyes.

"Please Master Kaiba, I had been paying attention," the headmaster smiled. "I know that the Seal cannot be destroyed or negated. I believe I shall destroy one of Mr Weasley's cards..." he paused for a moment, eyeing up Ron's face as his eyes darted nervously between the cards. "The one on the left I believe."

Hermione thought Ron might have shouted or growled a threat as his card exploded, but he just discarded it with only a small sigh of relief. Nerves wreathed in Hermione's stomach. Clearly Dumbledore would have been better destroying the other one. She hoped the headmaster was smart enough not to attack.

"I activate Pot of Greed," Dumbledore continued, pulling another two cards from his rapidly thinning deck. "And now for a lesson on true teamwork. I shall activate Polymerization, fusing Elemental Hero Avian, Elemental Hero Sparkman and Elemental Hero Bubbleman together."

A ghostly image of the green winged Avian appeared, and Bubbleman leaped into the air towards him, as a faint image of Sparkman joined them and the three swirled together into a vortex of light. What emerged from within was a true fusion. The muscular green haired hero had the magnificent wings of Avian, the body of Sparkman, and the weapons of Bubbleman (2800/2800).

"That's your embodiment of teamwork?" Mokuba drawled, before snorting. "Oh please! It's pathetic that you had to pool three monsters together for something that weak!"

Seeming unfazed by the insults, Dumbledore merely continued to smile. "Yes, I think Elemental Hero Tempest personifies true teamwork...and indeed, was a birthday present from my very own teammate not a few weeks ago." He inclined his head gratefully towards Pegasus, who waved a hand as if to say it had been nothing.

"As for why I feel this way," he continued. "I suppose it is better I demonstrate his strengths. So first I shall set a card facedown..." he did so, the image appearing before him. "And now, Tempest, attack Terrorking Archfiend with Glider Strike!"

The hero backed up a few paces, before vanishing from sight. Faster than the eye could follow he struck, tearing hard into Terrorking Archfiend, who had just long enough to groan before exploding into blood and vile black slime. Tempest appeared where he had been moments ago, with not a single drop of blood anywhere near him.

**Life Points**

Pegasus: 8700

Dumbledore: 300

Ron: 1300

Mokuba: 2650

"I shall end my turn here," the headmaster nodded.

"He'll be back," Ron said, looking at the spot where Terrorking had stood not a moment ago.

"Oh I don't think so," Dumbledore shook his head slowly. "It's been an excellent match, and as a teacher, I'm very impressed – especially by you Ron, for mastering this game so quickly. I would love to play both of you again under better circumstances...but this must come to an end."

"You've lost it," Mokuba declared.

"Not at all," Dumbledore said. "I am sincere when I say that both your strategies have astounded me. You are indeed very bright," now his brilliant blue eyes were fixed on Ron. "But I offer you a choice now. A choice to continue down this path or not. Continue to believe what you do now...or stand tall and become what I believe everyone has potential to be."

"What's he going on about?" Rebecca asked, but across the Seal, Hermione saw Harry standing up straight, and she too realised what the headmaster was doing.

"Whatever you choose," Dumbledore said. "This is your final turn."

"Yeah, you've officially lost it," Mokuba repeated. "Because in case you hadn't realised, old man, this is _my _turn right now. But you are right – this is the last turn. And I'm going to take you down in flames!"

Hermione gasped. Was she wrong? Was that what Dumbledore had meant? Was he telling Mokuba that he was prepared to be attacked and take the fall so that they could win? She wanted to cover her eyes. She couldn't bear to watch someone lose.

"Then by all means," the headmaster nodded. "Go right ahead."

"Thank you!" Mokuba mocked, drawing and bursting out laughing. "Perfect! Now is the time I take you down and prove once and for all that I far surpass my older brother!"

Next to him, Hermione saw Ron's eyes flicker towards him with a hint of...understanding? Her heart dropped into her stomach. Of course, Ron understood what it was like to be the younger sibling and never feel he could match up. She sighed heavily. The Orichalcos certainly had no shortage of bad feelings and resentment to feed off. No wonder Mokuba and Ron had made such good targets.

"You love your brother, Mokuba!" Rebecca stormed.

"Love is for fools!" Mokuba spat. "I don't need family or friends to be powerful! Seto's the living proof that caring only leads to weakness!"

"What are you on about?" Joey rolled his eyes. "Rich Boy's as self obsessed as you can get!"

"Watch it, mutt!" Kaiba growled, sounding so much like one of his precious dragons, that Joey couldn't help but take half a step back.

"Look at him!" Mokuba challenged. "He's been defanged! Ever since Yugi and you cheerleaders showed up he's become weak! Sure, he says he doesn't care, but he cares enough to keep an eye on you, and communicate with you, even if it is just to tell you that you suck! And as soon as he started caring, he started losing! _He's pathetic_!"

He finished with such a look of revulsion that Kaiba couldn't help but recoil slightly. Hermione genuinely felt sorry for him, and even Joey's usual dislike seemed to fade into something resembling sympathy.

"Erm..." Ron nodded towards the field. "The duel?"

"I'm not stupid!" Mokuba retorted, quickly selecting his card and plugging it into his duel disk. "I activate Spell Sanctuary. Now not only can all my spell cards can be activated as though they were quick plays, but we can all move a spell card from our decks to our hands – and I choose Soul Release for mine!"

Everyone froze in the action of moving their spell cards. Hermione couldn't remember what Soul Release did (though she knew Yugi had used it earlier that day against Rebecca) but she knew from their faces it had to be bad.

"I'll use my Soul Release to banish my V-Tiger Jet and W-Wing Catapult!" Mokuba continued, shoving both cards into his pocket. "But they're not staying there for long! Because now I activate Different Dimension Beacon! Now I can select five banished monsters and place them on top of my deck in exchange for discarding one card from my hand!"

He shoved another card in the graveyard, before taking W-Wing Catapult, V-Tiger Jet, X-Head Cannon, Y-Dragon Head and Z-Metal Tank out of his pocket and placing them on top of his deck.

**Life Points**

Pegasus: 9700

Dumbledore: 300

Ron: 1300

Mokuba: 3650

"Oh no..." Rebecca moaned, covering her mouth with her hands. "This isn't good!"

"Please don't tell me those five monsters combine too?" Hermione begged.

"Okay, I won't tell you," Mokuba shrugged. "But it's happening anyway! I activate Fusion Birth! Now I send the top five cards from my deck to my graveyard and if a fusion is possible, I can summon it. And what do you know? They do!"

The cards were removed once more, and the five monsters appeared on the field for a moment before breaking apart like lego and restacking themselves in a new, larger and far more intimidating order. Rising up on tall legs, the colourful mecha loomed over the field, cold and calculating as the Seal appeared and it levelled its weapons at Pegasus and Dumbledore. (3000/2800 – 3500/2800)

Kaiba's eyes narrowed. "Mokuba, I gave you that fusion monster hoping you could handle it responsibly!"

"What do I care?" Mokuba demanded. "I don't have to listen to you anymore, Seto! I can do what I like! And I'll do exactly that! My VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon's effect lets me banish one card on the field! And I'll tell you what – I'm totally sick of those Toons! So Catapult Cannon – BLAST THAT ANNOYING TOON KINGDOM!"

The book snapped shut and quivered as the mecha's giant cannon turrets pointed, and energy charged up with a whine. A terrified squeak was heard from within, before a beam of pure white light slammed into it, shattering the useless Magical Reflector Counter, and evaporating the book into dust.

Mokuba was cackling even worse than his brother at his most gloating. "YES! That's for my soul, Pegasus! And this!" he turned his glare onto Dumbledore. "Is for daring to be cocky enough to even suggest that this would be our last turn! VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon, destroy Tempest with Destruction Cannon!"

"Like hell!" everyone jumped at the fury in Ron's voice – but it was not Orichalcos fury that raged in him now. It was righteous and very passionately mad. "I'm done being the sidekick! This time, I'm the hero!" He jammed a button on his duel disk and his set card rose.

"What are you doing?!" Mokuba's rage was apocalyptic, but Ron just glared.

"Making a damn choice! I activate Trap of Darkness! I pay a thousand life points, pick a normal trap in mine or Mokuba's graveyard and activate it as Trap of Darkness's effect!"

**Life Points**

Pegasus: 9700

Dumbledore: 300

Ron: 300

Mokuba: 3650

Mokuba's eyes narrowed – he had not missed the way Ron had made sure to point out that he could access his graveyard too. "What are you stealing from me?!" he demanded.

"Something I saw you discard for your XY-Dragon Cannon's effect," Ron announced. "I want your Magical Trick Mirror!"

Hermione frowned. She had never heard of that card before, but apparently Rebecca had, for her eyes widened and she gasped. "What is it?"

"Magical Trick Mirror lets you copy a spell card in your opponent's graveyard!" she said.

"That's right!" Ron grinned. "And I know just the one I want – I want Pegasus's Mischief of the Time Goddess! Your turn is over, Mokuba!"

Mokuba screamed in fury as his enormous mecha stood down, energy silenced in the cannons with an almost disappointed whine.

"What is he doing?" Rebecca whispered. "Ron stopped Mokuba from attacking!"

"He's fighting it!" Mai said. "Can't you see?"

Hermione could see. She could see it as Ron bowed his head and spoke to the ground.

"You said the next turn would be my last," he said. "Well, it's my turn now headmaster." He raised his head and met Dumbledore's eyes. "Show me what you've got to teach me. I'm listening."

Professor Dumbledore smiled. "It would be my honour Ron." He stroked his beard as though in thought. "Now remind me, what was it I said last turn about the Seal of Orichalcos's effect?"

Frowning, Ron recited. "It cannot be destroyed or negated."

"Ten points to Gryffindor," the headmaster said, his eyes twinkling like a pair of stars. "Cannot be destroyed or negated...but it doesn't say anything about _sending_ the card, now does it?"

Mokuba turned as pale as his brother's dragons. "NO!"

"I activate the trap card, Last Turn!" Dumbledore announced, and the card flipped up to the astonishment of the crowd. "I choose a monster on my side of the field," he waved a hand to Tempest. "And now every other card on the field is sent to our graveyards. And I'm afraid that since the Seal of Orichalcos says nothing in its card text about sending, that means it goes too!"

The Seal fought, the magic twisting and writhing around them as it struggled not to give in – not to relinquish its hold on the field and the potential of so many souls...but for all its power, it was still bound by the rules of the game, and Mokuba's field card slot popped open and the vicious magic faded away from the field with an almost human shriek of denial.

The Seal vanished from both Mokuba and Ron's heads. Mokuba staggered as the fury that had kept him sustained throughout the duel drained from him, and collapsed to the floor moaning. Ron however, just smiled, his normal, slightly awkward, but open hearted grin.

"Nice move, Professor."

Hermione's heart soared.

"And the same to you," the headmaster said. "You have finally realised that strength is not comparing yourself to other people. Your own strength is in a class by itself. I applaud you for that...And now the second effect of Last Turn activates –you special summon a monster from your deck, and our monsters do battle. Whoever is left standing, is the winner – any other result is a draw."

Ron thought for a moment, before beaming. "Sorry Professor...but on this occasion, I'm afraid I surpass you." The card appeared from his deck and he placed it into the tray of the duel disk. A purple skinned woman in fantastically ornate armour appeared, her red cape fanning out behind her. A ball of crackling dark energy appeared in one hand, and she pointed her sceptre at Tempest with the other, who drew back and tensed in determination (2900/2100).

"Archfiend Empress..."

"Elemental Hero Tempest."

"ATTACK!"

The two entities clashed, in an explosion of wind, water, electricity and dark energy. White light obscured the field, and Hermione shielded her eyes, still trying desperately to squint through her fingers and see what the outcome had been...

Finally the energy dissipated. Archfiend Empress stood tall and proud in the middle of the field, with Elemental Hero Tempest crumpled and beaten at her feet.

And still, Professor Dumbledore smiled wider than ever.

**Life Points**

Pegasus: LOSS

Dumbledore: LOSS

Ron: WIN

Mokuba: LOSS

"What just happened?" Harry asked in confusion.

"Who cares?!" Rebecca demanded, tearing across the field and taking Mokuba's shoulder. Almost instantly she was shoved aside by Kaiba.

"Mokuba?" the CEO shook his brother's shoulders and received a weak moan in response.

"...what a mind screw..." Ron muttered, rubbing the ache from his own head. Overwhelmed with relief, Hermione tackled him and sent them both sprawling ungracefully onto the floor.

"You're okay..." Hermione whispered from within her death grip on Ron's neck. "You're really okay."

"Course I'm okay," Ron said, shrugging. Releasing him, Hermione whacked him hard on the shoulder.

"OW!"

"Don't ever scare me like that again!" she fumed. "Do you hear me?!"

"Alright! Alright! Sorry..." Ron looked torn between being appropriately chastised, and blushing in embarrassment. It was only now she paused to take a breath that Hermione realise she was still sitting on him, half kneeling half straddling his thighs. Perhaps body tackling him to the floor hadn't been her best idea, yet she really couldn't find the will to move. She was not done being mad.

"Ugh my head hurts..." Mokuba groaned half supported across his brother's lap. He rubbed his forehead right over where the Seal had been.

"You okay kiddo?" Mai arrived at his side. Kaiba hunched over him protectively, but Mokuba wriggled out of his arms for a check over.

"Brain feels like jelly," the black haired boy said. "What happened?"

"You don't remember?" Mai asked, pityingly. Frowning in confusion Mokuba shook his head, wincing as the movement only caused him more pain. Mai moved to check for concussion, and Kaiba got up and strode across the corridor to confront Pegasus and Dumbledore, who were crossing the field at a calmer pace, dusting themselves off as they went.

"Listen you creeps!" the CEO hissed in his most menacing voice. "If either of you come near my little brother again-"

"Calm yourself, Mr Kaiba," Dumbledore said, in his usual serene tone. "Our intention is not to hurt anybody."

"They're right, Seto," Mokuba called, looking down at the open field card zone on his duel disk. His face was a picture of devastation as he realised what he must have done. "It was us. We played it-"

"Don't," Mai's voice was hard like steel, and Hermione was taken aback at how strong she sounded. "Don't even think that Mokuba. This was whoever brainwashed you. This was _not _you, you hear me?" She turned her head to glare at Ron too. "That goes for you too."

"And I suppose a malignant fairy came along and magicked them both into using that thing?" Kaiba's voice was dripping with sarcasm, which struck Hermione as odd. She didn't know the CEO that well, but from what she remembered of his personality, his usual practise was to just dismiss claims of magic, not go on the defensive with sarcasm.

"No, it was a wizard or witch," Harry corrected. _Now_ Hermione could see Kaiba about to scoff. "One of Voldemort's Death Eaters."

_That _shut the CEO up. Now he just looked murderous. Were it anyone but Voldemort, Hermione might have felt pity for the target of his rage.

"Mokuba!" Kaiba snapped, and Hermione saw his brother flinch. "Who gave you that card?"

"Yeah, who brainwashed you?" Harry asked kneeling down next to Ron. "Did you see anyone? Who gave you the stones?"

Mokuba had put his head back in his knees, whether from confusion or self hatred, nobody knew. Ron was rubbing his head.

"I don't remember."

"Ron-" Hermione began, but he interrupted.

"I'm serious! One minute we were walking along, next minute I'm standing in the middle of the Seal with an active duel disk!"

"Yes, incidentally," Dumbledore had been watching Mai examine Mokuba, but he seemed to have concluded that he was in good hands. Now he turned to Ron with an expression that conveyed pride. "When exactly did you break free of the Seal's influence?"

With his non-duel disk wearing hand, Ron rubbed his head again, sheepishly. "About when Pegasus blasted me with Toon Blue-Eyes."

"You...broke free of it?" Mokuba asked, in confusion. Unlike Ron, he seemed to remember nothing of the duel up until waking up.

"Yeah...well not exactly 'broke'," he said. "It was more like...drowning and occasionally coming up for air? But when that happened I knew what I needed to do..." He looked at the headmaster. "Thanks for the help, and I'm sorry if I was a bit rude or said anything..."

"Think nothing of it, my boy," Dumbledore waved, positively beaming. "You should be very proud of yourself. You achieved a victory against impossible odds. Nobody could possibly have asked more of you."

"Speaking of help," Rebecca said suddenly. "You guys didn't pass anyone in the corridor or anything acting weird? The person who was brainwashing them has to be nearby!"

Hermione's heart lurched back into a frightened beat – she had completely forgotten that whoever had cast the Imperius Curse and given the boys the Orichalcos stones, had to have been nearby watching.

"No luck," Bakura shook his head. "I sent Diabound to scout as soon as we got here. He found nothing. Whoever it was is good at hiding themselves."

It was clear from the way he said it, that he suspected the stalking aurors. Hermione had to admit, it was a likely possibility.

"Hey..." Ron got her attention again, but there was a flicker of anxiety now in his eyes, and he glanced between Harry and Hermione. "What did I say?"

"What do you mean?" Harry was trying to sound casual, but Hermione could hear the forced quality in his voice. Ron's expression grew even more worried – he had heard it too.

"...I mean...I said things, didn't I? Things I didn't mean? I don't remember exactly what it was, but Mokuba was doing it, and I know I said something..."

"What did I say?" Mokuba asked urgently, looking up at his brother. His whole expression seemed to cave in when Kaiba did not answer immediately, and just met his question with a hint of pain in his eyes. "Seto, what did I say?!"

"Hey!" Mai said firmly. "I told you, don't do that to yourself. That wasn't you saying those things. It was that thing," she snarled at the Seal. "Speaking through your mouth. Not a single word it said was true – believe me, I know better than most."

She sounded so stubborn and emotionally charged, that nobody wanted to challenge her. Slowly lowering his head, Mokuba nodded.

"Yeah...you're right...I'm sorry Mai."

"Don't be," Mai told him, and she gently tousled his hair. "You're a good kid. And hey – me and you have to duel sometime, because your deck is pretty cool."

The black haired boy gave a weak smile. "Think I've had enough duelling for today."

"Yeah me too," Ron put in, and he and Mokuba exchanged chuckles.

"Dear me," Pegasus said, stepping over to them. Hermione was a little alarmed as he tucked a hand into Ron's pocket, but she relaxed as he withdrew clutching the lump of Orichalcum in a red silk handkerchief. "I think I had better dispose of this. And your Seal cards too."

This time, he held out a hand to Ron (who wore a deer in the headlights look from having his pockets searched). He moved his arm and this time he blushed.

"Erm...Hermione, you're kneeling on my duel disk." He whispered, but everyone was listening, and Hermione heard Harry stifle a little snort. More mortified than she had ever been in her life, Hermione hopped off Ron and stood awkwardly by his side as he started flicking through his deck. She glared at Rebecca's salacious wink, and felt ten times more embarrassed as she realised that Dumbledore had an amused twinkle in his eye.

"Thank you." Pegasus singsonged as Ron handed the incriminating card over.

"You can get rid of that stuff safely, right?" Joey asked cautiously, from his position standing sentry at one end of the field. Fortunately no curious technicians or spectators were nearby.

"Please Joseph, what kind of amateur do you take me for? – don't answer that," Pegasus added, seeing Kaiba opening his mouth to say something cutting. "Suffice to say I have become rather adept at destroying this particular menace over the last few years. I have been gathering the scattered Orichalcos stones from around the world ever since our last little mishap with them, and every Seal card seized comes into my possession. I personally make sure that all of them are completely destroyed."

There was a coldness to his voice as he spoke, and Hermione had no doubts he would get the job done. For whatever reason, Pegasus had a real burning hatred of this particular magic. She remembered what Mai had said before about the creator losing to the Orichalcos before, and it made sense. No wonder he was so determined to destroy it all.

As Pegasus spoke he took the Seal card from Mokuba's duel disk (Kaiba hovering protectively over his brother as though he expected Pegasus to suddenly turn and attack) and ripped it neatly in two. He did the same to Ron's.

"That'll do until I can find a shredder or a furnace," he announced brightly. "And I think I shall have to add some limitations on that VWXYZ Dragon Catapult Cannon card too, before its release to the general public. Maybe a limitation on the kind of fusion it can be summoned via..."

"It's a bit weird when you think about it," Ron admitted. "I mean, ten thousand years of evil power are contained in just a bit of paper and plastic.

"Oh my dear Mr Weasley," Pegasus sighed, his usual flamboyance back in his voice. "That is not the weirdest aspect of this magic. Believe me, you will find out."

As it dawned on Hermione just how lucky they had been this time around, she realised that she did not want to find out ever.

OOO

"Are you sure I shouldn't go with you? I'm out of the tournament now. There's nothing to stop me..."

Malik had very little food in his stomach from dinner, but it was enough to make him feel nauseated. He did not even remember what it was Ryou had pushed into his hands – some kind of soup that they got from a cafe around the corner from the hotel. He had just sipped it slowly and said nothing. He had been silent on the walk back. And now as he attempted to pack, his voice still showed no signs of returning. His suitcase was half empty, clothing, cards and other belongings scattered around the room like his half coherent thoughts.

Odion was in hospital.

Odion had been attacked.

Odion had damaged intestines, a ruptured spleen, and lost about three pints of blood before help had arrived.

Nothing made sense anymore.

Feeling his throat burn again, he forced his tongue to form words.

"No. I'll be fine."

He was lying. He knew it. Ryou knew it. He would not be fine until he had seen Odion awake and well. And from what Ishizu had said that was unlikely to happen soon. Kufu, the other casualty at the scene, had been pronounced dead by the paramedics on arrival, and the police were conducting an investigation. Ishizu had been in and out of police interviews and the hospital all day, and contacting her with new flight information had been hell. In between his worry for Odion, Malik grieved for Kufu, who had worked with him at the museum all summer. And yet a traitorous part of his mind reminded him in the midst of his sadness that he was lucky that it had not been the other way around – that Kufu was the one in hospital and Odion –

He seized his head in his hands and screwed his eyes closed against the tears and sickness directed at his own horrible thoughts. He could not think like this. He needed to pull himself together, or he would be a wreck before he even got on the plane.

His mind jolted uncomfortably back to his messy hotel room as Ryou pulled him into a hug. Malik did not do demonstrations of affection that often, but now, with his brother and lifelong protector in such an uncertain condition, the urge to cry into Ryou's shoulder was unbearably strong. He wanted to curl up against him and take comfort in his arms and his scent, and let his friend chase away all the fears that preyed upon him now.

But he could not. He had to keep it together. He pushed slowly away from Ryou, willing the tears away as he went back to packing his dirty laundry.

"I'm sorry," Ryou whispered, and Malik knew he had hurt his feelings by rejecting his comfort. He threw the last of his clothes haphazardly into the case and zipped it shut, glancing at his watch as he did. It was nine 'o clock. He had to be awake in seven hours to get to the airport on time.

"Do you want me to stay with you?" Ryou asked. Malik chewed hard on his lip, and decided he did not want to be alone yet.

"Yeah...thanks Ry."

OOO

It was still nine 'o clock when Ron made his way up to the rooftop of the hotel. Strictly guests weren't supposed to be up there, but Mai had assured him earlier that nobody would know they had been there providing they didn't do anything stupid like try and throw themselves off the roof.

Harry and Hermione were with him, and he could feel each of them looking at him nervously as they slipped through the fire door and up the old staircase. But Ron kept moving. This was something he had to do.

As they pushed through the door at the top, the wind buffeted them and Ron repressed a shiver. Mai was waiting for him on the other side of the roof, with Joey sat on the wall, ever watching, ever protective. Ron felt a million times better just seeing him there. Nothing would go wrong this time.

"You sure about this Ron?" Mai asked, as he approached. Harry and Hermione broke off and went to sit on the wall next to Joey, leaving Ron alone, facing the blonde woman who was looking at him with an expression that was determined with just a hint of worry...worry that he would back out due to fear. She had been the one to suggest this, and Ron knew she was right to have done so. She understood...and he had a hunch as to why, that only made him more sure that she had been right to ask him.

"Yeah," Ron nodded. "You know what they say – best thing to do after you fall off a horse is to get straight back on."

Mai gave a grin.

"Okay...then let's duel."

OOO

**A/N: **Bakura: Mei, did you just make a Monty Python reference?

Mei: Shut up Bakura! I need to go buy some nails and wood planks before all the GX-haters start queuing up to piss in my letterbox!

Right, original cards are below – with the exception of the noted ones that show up in the manga, they were all created by 7th Librarian. If you want to borrow for your own fics or ask questions, PM him. Or me, and I'll let him know.

On the subject of the Seal – anime card text can be found on the YuGiOh wikia, and does not in fact mention anything about sending the card to the graveyard. Card text loopholes like this are totally legal in real life (as anyone who has ever sent Premature Burial to the graveyard with Emergency Provisions will tell you).

And now that my door is nailed shut, press the shiny review button!

**Blooper:**

Mokuba: And this is for daring to be cocky enough to even suggest that this would be our last turn! VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Ca...can't I just call it Boris?

Mei: No! Say it properly, or no doughnuts!

**Original Cards**

_Name_: Overlapping Worlds

_Card Type_: Continuous Trap Card

_Card Text_: You may only activate this card when a Field Spell Card is in play. Banish one Field Spell Card from your deck. This card's name and effect become the name and effect(s) of the banished Field Spell Card.

_Name_: Elemental Hero Spark Soldier

_Card Type_: Fusion/Effect Monster

_Card Stats_: 1600/1400 Level 4 Light Warrior

_Card Text_: This card may only be Fusion Summoned from your Fusion Deck by the effect of 'Metamorphosis' that targets one 'Elemental Hero Sparkman' that you control. Once per turn when this card attacks, or is attacked, change the Battle Position of the monster battling this card. When this card is sent to graveyard, after the damage calculation, you may banish this card and one LIGHT-attribute monster from your graveyard. All damage you receive until the End Phase is reduced to 0.

_Name_: Promotion

_Card Type_: Normal Spell Card

_Card Text_: Discard one 'Vilepawn Archfiend' from your hand and Special Summon one 'Archfiend' monster from your deck and equip it with this card. If this card is destroyed, destroy the equipped monster.

_Name_: Cartoonist

_Card Type_: Effect Monster

_Card Stats_: 600/2100 Level 4 Earth Spellcaster

_Card Text_: While this card is face up on the field, this card's name is also treated as 'Toon World'. While this card is face up on the field, 'Toon World' cannot be destroyed. You may discard one card from your hand to add one card that has 'Toon' in its name from your Deck to your Hand.

_Name_: Toon Bank

_Card Type_: Continuous Spell Card

_Card Text_: Every time a 'Toon' monster inflicts damage to your opponent's life points, draw one card.

_Name_: Hammerspace Mallet

_Card Type_: Normal Trap Card

_Card Text_: If this card is banished and a 'Toon' monster you control is attacked, you may move this card to your graveyard to negate the attack. Switch the attacking monster to defence position.

_Name_: Dimensional Beacon

_Card Type_: Normal Spell Card

_Card Text_: Discard one card from your hand. Select five monsters in your banished pile and place them on the top of your deck in any order.

_Name_: Alphabet Soupercharger

_Card Type_: Normal Spell Card

_Card Text_: If this card is discarded for the effect of an 'X', 'Y', 'Z', 'W','V' monster, draw two cards. When you Fusion Summon an 'X', 'Y', 'Z', 'W','V' monster and this card is in your Graveyard, you may add it to your hand.

_Name_: Fusion Birth

_Card Type_: Normal Spell Card

_Card Text_: Send the top five cards of your deck to the graveyard. If any Fusion Material monsters are among them, special summon one Fusion Monster from your fusion deck that lists the sent Fusion Material monsters (this special summon is treated as a fusion summon).

_This card was first used in chapter 28 of the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Manga._


	9. Chapter 9: For Real

**A/N: **Yoohoo boys and girls! So sorry for the delay – beta has a busy life and so do I. Updates are getting sporadic – and next chapter isn't written yet, because the duel is missing. There may be a delay on that too. I'm aiming for two weeks, but we will see.

Anyway, with that, read on and review my dears!

OOO

**Chapter 9: For Real**

Malik yawned widely and attempted to rub some of the sleep dust from his eyes. At quarter to six in the morning, the London Underground was just beginning to wake up for the day, and already life was appearing. A sleepy looking homeless person had been hunched next to the steps leading down to Piccadilly station, and the coffee-drinking station guard on the ticket barrier had warned him there were emergency engineering works going on at Knightsbridge, meaning he would have to get off at Green Park and change trains twice in order to get to Heathrow.

He really did not have the energy for this.

There had been a handful of people on the Piccadilly Line platform when he had finally hauled his luggage down the last flight of steps. Of the two people sharing his carriage, one looked to be a night time security guard in a polyester uniform, yawning in between heavy nasal breaths, while the other looked to be a university student in an oversized hoodie and Malik found himself studying the rips in her jeans in order to distract himself from thinking about what he might find when he finally got home.

Like a sleepwalker he had followed the ripped jeans out of the train at Green Park. The station was much quieter than Piccadilly, and it felt quite creepy, as Malik got off the escalator and turned down the tunnel that would take him to the Victoria Line. Thinking of getting home, made Malik conscious of the fact that he was underground down here. He remembered hearing somewhere that some of the London Underground stations were over forty metres below ground level, and the thought made him unbearably claustrophobic.

"_Just sixteen more stations and I'll be there,"_ he recited to himself, moving quickly through the brightly tiled tunnels. He saw the signs for the southbound train and found himself running for the platform, reciting the directions the ticket guard had given him. "_Just got to go to Victoria, get the Circle or District Lines to Gloucester Road, get back on the Piccadilly Line, and then I'll be at Heathrow..."_

His head ached with stress and exhaustion and he sank gratefully into a seat on the platform, mentally begging the next train to hurry up. The electronic sign above his head indicated that the next train would be in two minutes. Even knowing he was less than an hour away, the airport had never seemed so far away. Everything seemed to be conspiring against him to make his journey as long as possible. He just wanted to be home already and see Odion, in case he never got to see him again...

He gripped his head between his hands and squeezed hard, as though trying to squeeze all the anxiety and panic from his mind. His eyes watered as he screwed them tightly shut, and he felt a tiny moment of gratitude that there was no one else on the platform to see him break down. He tried taking deep gulps of the stuffy air, and told himself firmly that he was not going to cry. Odion would not want him to cry over him. He would want him to be strong so he could support him. Odion had spent his life protecting Malik from danger. Now it was time for Malik to do the same for his big brother.

Releasing the stale breath in his lungs, he heard the rumble that signalled the arrival of the train. He opened his eyes and watched the lights draw closer and closer. The glare made his eyes prickle, aggravating his headache, and he rubbed them as the train pulled into the station.

Blackness pushed against his closed eyes and the sound of the train seemed to fade away as though it had sped right past the platform. Alarmed, Malik opened his eyes and gasped. The platform and the train were gone, replaced by darkness. Shadows of black and purple bled into his vision, and the stuffy hot air of the Underground was replaced with the cold oppressive bite of...

"...the Shadow Realm..." Malik whispered, wrapping his arms around his freezing body. For the first time, in a long time, he did not feel comfortable here at all. This was worse than knowing that he was several hundred feet below the surface. It was one thing to come into the Shadow Realm by his own will, but this was not his own will – he had been brought here, and it rattled him to his core.

The questions of how and why raced through his mind, followed by the thought that he should probably summon a monster to guard him, before his head burst in pain, whiting out his vision and causing him to crumple to his knees. He barely stopped himself from screaming, but a low whine still escaped his throat as he pressed his skull between his hands in an effort to stop the explosion of agony inside.

"Hello hikari..." a soft familiar voice purred.

And in one horrific instant, everything made sense to Malik before coherence slipped from his mind along with the rest of his self control. With no strength to hold his aching head he let the gravity of the Shadow Realm pull him to the ground, grinding his teeth together to stop himself from screaming.

Heavy boots slipped into his foggy vision. The childish urge to keep his head down and not look at the person that filled those boots was overwhelming, but like a puppet, his eyes travelled up tan trousers, and a black vest. The black cloak swished as the shadows lapped at the figure hungrily. The Eye of Horus glowed like Malik's own beacon of death.

"Ah how sweet," the Dark One cooed. "It just pained you to be apart from me, didn't it?"

The voice was low, gravelly and oozed cruelty. Malik willed his legs to work, to get him away from this nightmare. But they refused to obey, a slave to the deep ache radiating from his skull.

"_Help me...please..."_

"...how?" was the only response Malik could articulate. Marik knelt, placing a finger under his hikari's chin, like a parent would to a young frightened infant.

"Why, the same way the Pharaoh and the Thief can," he gave an almost childlike smile. "Anything they can do, I can do better."

"No..." his limbs felt like they were weighed down with lead blocks, but Malik still managed to shuffle backwards away from his dark. "You can't...you can't get out of your game..."

"Oh silly, silly hikari," Marik shook his head, and stood tall once more, the cloak making him look larger than normal. "I've already been out. I've been out for days...I thought you might have noticed. You can certainly feel it now, can't you?"

Every headache from the past few days slammed into Malik once more, as if to highlight his stupidity. His own body had been telling him that something was wrong, and he had not even realised it.

"Interesting person that 'Voldemort' friend of yours," the dark smirked, and Malik felt the blood drain from his face.

"You're with him...and those earthquakes...you did that! And Odion! It was you all along!"

Realisation brought clarity and Malik felt his head ease enough to watch his dark's face light up in pleasure as he applauded his deduction.

"So you have been noticing me...I had wondered. I suppose Voldemort's magic is far from subtle, but even with my powers mostly returned I still could not do what I wanted to do most – see you again, pretty hikari..."

He was circling him like a vulture, and under the pretence of keeping him in his gaze, Malik followed his eyes, all the while checking for any sign...any hope...

"Even miles from you, that fool Odion is still your shadow. I still could not do anything with him around. So..."

Malik jumped as Marik snapped his hand forward. A vicious looking blade was perfectly positioned between his fingers, and Malik swallowed hard. He knew it would stab deep with very little warning.

"I think Odion enjoyed my hello," Marik mused. "He screamed pretty...maybe I should have gone upstairs and said hi to Ishizu too..."

Malik hit his breaking point, and in that moment the area was filled with the piercing shriek of a million tiny bats. They swarmed around Marik's head like a black cloud, biting at his face and neck with tiny sharp teeth. The Dark One roared and tried to beat the attackers away, and Malik found his feet and bolted from the area. He knew running would not get him far in the Shadow Realm, but he had to put some distance between him and his darker half if he wanted to stand a chance of getting out of there alive.

Something purple and blue materialised beside him, and Malik tensed expecting an attack, but it was only Vampire Lord, blood dripping from his fangs as he ran with him.

"He will not be far behind, Master. Find a safe place to leave. I will hold him ba-"

He was cut short and crumpled to the floor with a crash. Malik skidded to a halt, torn between running and turning back to help his monster. Something dark and ugly oozed out of the shadows, clamping long bony claws around Vampire Lord. Its body was shaped like a human brain, and a single orange eye leered out at Malik as the brain squeezed the captured monster in its embrace. Malik felt his stomach turn. The monster was Brain Jacker, a level two dark fiend which took control of an opponent's monster when flipped face up.

"Vampire Lord!"

"Go!" the zombie yelled. "Hurry!"

The Brain Jacker gave an angered squeal, and pressed its eye against Vampire Lord's head. The zombie monster's eyes went blank, and Malik knew there was no helping him now. He bolted from the area, mentally scrambling for another monster.

The shadows ahead swirled and warped, and something nightmarish loomed from within. Malik vaguely recognised it from conversations with Yugi about Pegasus's deck in Duellist Kingdom. Relinquished – a ritual monster with hulking arms, wing like protrusions coming from its back and green scaly skin. Its claws were bared and Malik shouted the first name that popped into his head.

"Felgrand Dragon!"

The golden dragon appeared in an instant, roaring as it charged a ball of flames in its mouth. Relinquished just glowed a soft pink, and the dragon seized as though grasped by an invisible set of hands. Malik felt horror course through him like poison as he finally understood his dark's plan.

"It's an excellent strategy, isn't it?" Marik said, and Malik's heart sank as he saw Vampire Lord following obediently behind, Brain Jacker still latched lovingly onto his head. "Who needs the Millennium Rod? Even your best lizard can't fight back now. But this isn't even the best part hikari. Watch!"

He snapped his fingers and Felgrand Dragon came to life again, a roar of frustration bursting free of it as it charged another attack and aimed straight for Vampire Lord. Malik screamed, but it was too late. The flames incinerated Vampire Lord instantly, and Malik felt his energy vaporise along with his monster. He fell to his knees, taking great gulps of air to help steady his nerves. What little self control he gained vanished as he felt someone pushing him against the ground and pinning him there. He struggled, but a hand twisted around his hair and pushed his head back against the floor. He felt a tug at his waist, and the familiar weight of the Millennium Rod vanished from its usual place in his belt.

"Try not to struggle hikari," Marik hissed in his ear. Cold metal was working its way up his back, and Malik could not stop a frightened whimper as the blade of the Rod ripped through his shirt. "I wouldn't want to make a mess of your father's handiwork..."

Malik's mind went numb...and then the blade cut deep into the scars, and the long repressed screams tore their way free of his throat.

OOO

Yugi stood in the tunnel, staring at the square of light that led to the stadium. Already he could hear the fans cheering and screaming for the day to begin – for the conclusion to be speedy so that they could celebrate all night. As it always did before a big match, the gravity of the situation lingered over Yugi's shoulder, threatening to smother him at any moment. As always, he held it back, letting a little bit of his other self's confidence seep through him, buoying him up in preparation for the challenges that the day would bring.

/_Are you ready for this, Aibou?_/ Unlike the previous two days, where Yami's mind had been focused tightly on the brainwashed duellists, the earthquakes and Odion, today he was focused on the duels. Today was his turn. Yugi was stepping back and letting him have his rematch with Mai. They would decide the finals if they won.

/_Ready Other Me./_ Yugi nodded. /_Just one more day, and then we can focus on the Death Eaters, and Voldemort are doing. We can do this. I know we can._/

/_Ready for me to take over?_/

Yugi gave a mental nod, leaving the Puzzle to glow, and Yami to appear in his place. Getting his bearings, the Pharaoh checked his duel disk and patted his pocket to make sure his deck was there, before taking a deep breath and walking out onto the field.

The stadium roared with life, the flag and banners waving furiously through the air. The sky above the stadium was a dark grey, and Yami knew that before the day was out, the marquee would have been pulled over the top of the stadium to keep the rain out. It seemed that the good summer weather had finally run out. But that did not bother him. He had duelled in worse conditions than this.

On the other side of the stadium, Mai Valentine had exited the tunnel and had paused at his arrival, half way to her position on the field. She gave him a smirk – her game face was on already, Yami realised, and he acknowledged her greeting with a nod. They might be friends off the field, but neither of them planned on going easy.

The commentator, whom Yami had been successfully tuning out until this moment, announced them all to the screams and whistles of the crowd. Any duel with Yugi Mutou was immediately a fan favourite, although Mai herself received an exceptional amount of loud support. Yami knew that as European Champion, she had a lot of fans in the UK – not to mention she was extremely popular, both with the women due to her position as one of the best female duellists in a predominantly male dominated game, and with the men, due to her looks.

"Duellists, cut and shuffle!" the commentator ordered. Confidently, Yami met his opponent in the middle, and handed his deck over. The exchange was over in an instant, but Mai gave him a wink as he handed her cards back.

"For real this time, Yugi?"

Yami did not need her to elaborate, knowing that she was referring to their last match in Duellist Kingdom, where Yugi had determinedly held him back for most of the game. He met her gaze and smiled.

"For real Mai." He smirked. "Best of luck."

She gave a confident toss of her hair. "Who needs luck?"

She strode back to her side of the field with her head held high. Grinning to himself, Yami placed his deck back in his duel disk and headed back to his side of the field. As he walked, he caught sight of Harry, Ron and Hermione in the Dark Magician section, not five rows from the front. He smiled at them, and they waved, their cheers of encouragement lost in the din of the noisy crowd.

Activating his duel disk, Yami stared down his opponent. Mai was already smirking from the other side of the field as the life points set to eight thousand. The audience fell silent in anticipation as both of them squared themselves for a fight.

"Let's duel!"

Mai pulled five cards from the top of her deck, while Yami drew a hand of six, scanning the names and letting the effects and strategies fill his mind.

"_From what we've seen of Mai's duels so far in this tournament, she usually gets her Harpies out within two turns. Better start strong."_

"First, I discard a card from my hand to special summon The Tricky in attack mode!"

He dropped a card into the discard slot, allowing the curious looking jester to appear (2000/1200).

"Then I'll set two cards facedown and end my turn!"

Smirking, Mai drew and examined her hand. From the way she seemed to stand straighter and more confidently, Yami knew she had a good opening hand.

"Let's have a change of scenery! I activate Harpies Hunting Ground!"

As the field spell vanished into Mai's disk, the stadium underwent a dramatic change. The ground became hard rocky terrain, and tall cliffs rose up around them with deadly ledges and sparse patches of vegetation. In the distance, a bird screeched.

Yami had seen her use this card before, and knew its effects all too well. He spared his spell and trap cards an anxious glance. He could guess what was coming next.

"Now let's welcome our first girl to the field – Harpie Lady 1!"

Rather than appear in a burst of light, the deadly winged woman swept down from the top of the cliffs with a cry (1300/1400). She grinned toothily at the Tricky as her points shot up from her own effect, and the effect of Harpie's Hunting Ground (1800/1600).

"Aside from boosting her stats, Harpies Hunting Ground lets me destroy a spell or trap when a Harpie is summoned," Mai pointed a finger at the card on the left. "Go get it girl!"

Springing up into the air, Mai's Harpie twisted and spun in the air, landing on the facedown Soul Rope and shredding it to pieces.

"Next up, I'll equip my Harpie Lady with Aero Nail!" Getting into her stride now, Mai activated the equip card, which caused the long vicious looking blade to appear strapped to Harpie Lady's arm (2100/1600).

"Hope you weren't attached to your monster, Yugi," Mai grinned. "Attack Harpie Lady! Shadow Nail Slash!"

Yami smirked. "I am attached to him Mai, so I think I'll save him. Go, Magical Hats!"

His second facedown card lifted and the Tricky was instantly obscured by an oversized black top hat with a question mark printed on the front. Another two appeared and began to shuffle just as Harpie Lady pounced on one. The hat was ripped to shreds, revealing Diffusion Wave Motion, before it faded from view.

"Sorry Mai. You missed." Yami could not keep the grin from his face as the Tricky appeared from beneath his own hat wiping the sweat from his forehead.

"I can see that," Mai grumbled. "I'll set one card and end my turn here."

Drawing, Yami scanned the cards for his next move.

"I activate Graceful Charity!"

After two days of solid duelling, explaining the card effect was unnecessary, so Yami quickly pulled three extra cards from his deck and, after some consideration, dropped two into his graveyard.

"Since I drew it by card effect, I can special summon Watapon to the field!"

There was a squeak as the pink puffball appeared. The female fans squealed, while the men all groaned. Yami ignored them and quickly switched the card over for another.

"I tribute Watapon to summon Archfiend of Gilfer!"

Where Watapon had been, now emerged its polar opposite – a hulking gruesome fiend, the snarled at the audience (2200/2500). Mai's Harpie Lady for her part, did her best to look unimpressed, even though it was a few points short of safety.

"Destroy her Harpie Lady, my beast!"

OOO

Ryou watched the destruction of Harpie Lady 1 with blank eyes and a vacant mind. His thoughts had been permanently locked on Malik since yesterday lunchtime, and they showed no signs of shifting now. He checked his watch and sighed. Malik had promised that he would text just as he was boarding the plane, but Ryou's phone had remained worryingly silent. Ryou had checked the airport website, and the flight had taken off with no delays. Malik was probably at this very moment on the plane, sleeping on and off, or staring out of the window. Normally he might complain about the aeroplane food to anyone who would listen, but Ryou was sure he couldn't eat anything. He had barely touched his dinner the night before, and Ryou would have bet the Millennium Ring that he had not had breakfast before running off to the airport that morning.

The crowd gave a gasp, but Ryou had lost track of the time and the flow of the match. He could sense Bakura watching with keen interest, but he knew the Spirit of the Ring was not blind to his worry or concern, and probably shared them to some degree (though he would sooner kiss Joey than admit it). He wondered for a second just what Bakura considered the tanned Egyptian – friend sounded too close and cutesy for him, and ally was too political...

/_Partner in crime_/ Bakura interjected with a smirk, confirming to Ryou that the yami had indeed been keeping one ear on his thoughts.

/_That sounds so nefarious_/ Ryou remarked, but allowing himself to giggle none the less. Nefarious thought it sounded, it was too appropriate now that he heard it.

/_But true_/Bakura said. /_If Malik had been around in Egypt in my time, I might have considered teaming up with him. He's sneaky, daring, good in a fight..._/

/_You teamed up with him in Battle City, and look where you ended up then_/ Ryou pointed out.

/_That was different hikari. Teaming up in Battle City was a necessity, not a choice. I didn't pick partners out of necessity in Egypt. I was always better prepared than that._/

Even as he said it, Ryou caught the conflicting emotion in that statement and knew his dark was fibbing. A vague, half formed image of a cold night and a deserted street in a desert city flashed across the bond, and he gave a snort as he caught the tell tale feeling of painful agony, panic and anger attached to it. He could have sworn he felt his darker half squirm.

/_Oh alright fine...I was better prepared most of the time._/

Ryou's chuckling fit was drowned out by a yell from the crowd as a colony of Mai's Harpies ripped Archfiend of Gilfer apart. Realising that he had missed about four turns without noticing a thing, he went back to watching the match, but despite his cheer a moment ago, the dark thoughts swirled back into his mind as he thought about the one who should be watching with them.

"_What would Malik think if he could see this duel now? Would he be cheering for Yugi? Or would he support Mai so that he could say he lost to the winner?"_

Malik had not been too sore about losing to Mai – indeed he'd been very upbeat right from the start. He had admitted to Ryou not a few days ago that he had been hoping to duel Mai again, to give her a fair fight and some closure after what his darker half had done to her in Battle City. Mai had certainly taken the match fiercely, not that she had much choice when Malik's weapon of choice was high level monsters that liked to revive themselves from the graveyard like clockwork. Somehow though, she had succeeded, and Ryou had to admit, it was probably the best closure she could have had. A friendly match would never have felt real enough – it had to be something with high stakes. And in duelling, you could not get much higher than the World Championships.

And yet Ryou knew, that deep down like the rest of them, Malik was well aware that Yugi was the King of Games, and impossible to beat. It didn't stop people from trying, but betting against Yugi in a fair fight was idiotic, and Malik did not like to be on the losing side. So Ryou tried to root for both Mai and Yugi in his friend's place. It still did not feel right though. Malik filled a room with his presence, and the space where he usually sat felt extremely empty.

"Y'know man, he's not due to land for at least another six hours."

Ryou did not even realise he had been staring at his watch again and he felt his cheeks colour at Tristan's amused expression.

"I know," he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I just wish it hadn't happened...I've never seen Malik look so lost before..."

"Get up Mai! You can come back from this!" Joey was yelling, as another Harpie was decimated from a direct attack by Queen's Knight. Joey paused in thought for a moment before adding. "Nice shot Yugi!" Clearly he was a little at a loss as to who to root for. Ryou was glad he was not the only one.

Had he not paused to take his watch off so he would not be tempted to look anymore, he might have missed the door to the box swinging open out of the corner of his vision. But he did not miss it, nor did he miss the shock of blue hair that walked in. His heart sank and he resolutely focused back on the match, as the seat next to him creaked with the weight of someone settling themselves into it.

/_Oh great...just wonderful..._/ Bakura groaned, and Ryou sent him a mental scowl despite his own mood sinking. After the huge argument he and his father had had the day before, he had not shown up for any of the matches, presumably to cool off after the fight. Ryou supposed he should be feeling glad he was at least trying now – that maybe he had finally got through to him – but he was still not done being mad. Almost three years worth of bitterness did not dissipate in one day.

He tried to pay attention to Mai's turn. She used Monster Reborn to special summon back Birdface, which she then tributed to summon Swift Birdman Joe, who blew all spells and traps back to the players hand. The magnificent scenery of Harpies Hunting Ground vanished momentarily before Mai quickly replaced it in her Duel Disk. Yami was not so lucky as Mirror Force blew straight back to his hand. Mai just laughed, and sent Joe to destroy Queens Knight. He seized her in his claws and flung her off to the far end of the cliff, causing the audience to shriek and wince.

Despite his focus, Ryou felt acutely aware of the seat next to him, and he almost jumped when he heard it creak.

"...so when are you on?"

Ryou wasn't sure whether to scream, or punch him.

"I'm not." He replied as coldly as possible. He could feel the confused look flitting over the side of his face.

"You said you were a competitor."

"I _was_ a competitor," Ryou allowed a bite of impatience to seep through. "I lost yesterday."

_/And you'd know that if you'd bothered to show up_/ he added bitterly in his head. He heard Bakura failing to stifle his snickers.

"Oh..." he heard his father fidgeting uncomfortably, before he opened his mouth again. "Was it...a good match?"

/_Oh for the love of Isis, wake me when it stops being painful?_/ Bakura beseeched, but Ryou's attempts to furiously defend himself were cut off by a curt voice.

"It was a very good match. Of course he never stood a chance against me, but it is an achievement to be able to get me down to less than five hundred life points."

Ryou stared at Kaiba with his mouth hanging open. Even Bakura had fallen silent. The CEO had not taken his eyes of the playing field for a second, but the delivery had been firm, no nonsense, and with just the barest hint of a sneer in Adrian's direction. Ryou was completely dumbfounded at the idea that Seto Kaiba, of all people, was defending him to his father.

Hearing a cheer from the crowd, Ryou removed his gaze from the CEO and found several other people in the VIP box were watching them in surprise. Blushing furiously, Ryou tried to pay attention again, and he felt rather than saw Kaiba glaring at everyone else. Slowly the gazes turned back to the match.

"Man, now I've seen everything," he heard Joey mutter, and he wished he could sink into his seat. He tried to glance at Kaiba to demonstrate some kind of thanks, but he was already locked back into the match, his eyes narrowed at Yami in a silent order that he had better not screw up this duel and deny him his rematch.

Without thinking, Ryou turned his head to look at the large clock on the wall of the box behind him, and groaned as he realised he still had a long wait to go before he could call Malik.

OOO

"YES!" Ron crowed as Yami successfully fusion summoned Arcana Knight Joker (3800/2500), a severe looking monster in black and gold armour. "Oh I've so beaten you this time, Hermione! Those five galleons are mine!"

"Not a chance!" Hermione objected, before screaming out into the field. "Come on Mai! You can win this!"

Harry had long since given up covering his ears in the latest round of Ron and Hermione's betting war. The rest of the audience in the Dark Magician section were near hysterical with glee along with the rest of the Yugi fans in the stadium, cheering all the louder as Yami ordered the warrior to attack Swift Birdman Joe. The winged man gave a shriek as the sword cleaved him neatly in two. Mai flinched slightly, but remained standing strong.

**Life Points**

Yami: 4100

Mai: 3800

"Mai still has life points," Hermione was chanting. "She can still win this!"

"Oh come on!" Ron groaned. "Her field is empty save for one facedown card. Unless that's some kind of super miracle card, there's no way she's turning this around against a monster with thirty eight hundred attack points!"

It was getting a little irritating to have to listen to Ron give commentary like he was an expert at the game, but Harry supposed it was at least some miracle that yesterday's experience with the Orichalcos hadn't put him off Duel Monsters for life. Indeed, Ron had spent most of the previous night at dinner running over his deck repeatedly, trying to memorise all the different things he could do with his Archfiends, and the duel with Mai on the roof had only invigorated him more.

"I end my turn!" Yami called.

"Then it's my move!" Mai said, drawing again. "And I think it's party time! So go Hysteric Party!"

Her facedown card flipped up to reveal a trap card pictured with a colony of Harpie Ladies surrounded with lightning. Several flashes blasted over the arena and as Mai discarded her one remaining card for the effect, her Harpie Lady 1 (1300/1400), Cyber Harpie (1800/1300) and Harpie Queen (1900/1200) reappeared from the graveyard, flexing their talons in anticipation. Harpie Lady 1 flapped her wings hard, and the updrafts sent her companions stats soaring along with the boost from Harpie's Hunting Ground. (1800/1600, 2300/1500, 2400/1400).

"And since I summoned all these Harpies, Harpies Hunting Ground lets me destroy a spell or trap on the field for each one – so your two facedown cards go-"

"I chain my facedown to your effect," Yami interjected. "Emergency Provisions sends Mirror Force to the graveyard and gives me a thousand life points!"

The worm-like mouth appeared and swallowed the facedown trap just as the Harpies pounced on it in frenzy.

**Life Points**

Yami: 5100

Mai: 3800

"Fine," Mai shrugged. "And now that I've evened the field a little, I play Card of Sanctity."

Seeming more relaxed now, Mai tugged six new cards free of her disk, while Yami drew his own hand back to full capacity. Mai grinned in triumph.

"She got something good! I knew it!" Hermione was a trembling ball of excitement.

"Come on!" Ron groaned. "That thing's got more points than Malik's Felgrand Dragon, and Mai didn't have any monsters powerful enough to beat that yesterday. The only card she has that could possibly defeat it is-"

"Harpie Lady Phoenix Formation!"

All three Harpies gave a shriek, leaping into the air, forming the head and wing tips of the blue fire bird, soaring up into the clouds of the hunting ground and diving towards Arcana Knight Joker.

"I activate Arcana Knight Joker's effect!" Yami's voice rose above the din. "Discarding Magical Dimension to negate Phoenix Formation!"

The phoenix seemed to fizzle out of power, leaving the three Harpies to swoop out of their dive and resettle back on Mai's side of the field. They flexed their claws and screeched angrily at Yami's knight, who just observed them with a cool expression.

Scowling, Mai set a card facedown. "I end my turn."

Drawing and bringing his hand up to six, Yami quickly gestured to his monster. "Destroy Harpie Lady 1, my knight!"

Mai's stoic expression broke into a smirk as the knight dashed across the field. "I don't think so Yugi. Activate Icarus Attack!"

Cyber Harpie dissolved into a fierce golden light, which shot like with the force of a cannon towards Arcana Knight Joker. There was not a single trap in Yami's hand, so he watched sadly as his monster was blown to pieces by the furious attack.

"Yes! Go Mai!" Harry wasn't sure that Hermione's cheering was being heard at all over the shouting, so he was surprised when Mai turned and flashed them a thumbs up. Hermione's excitement seemed to peak even higher.

With a heavy sigh, Yami quickly set a monster and one facedown card, before waving his opponent on.

"That smells like a trap to me," Harry said critically, starting to get a feel for the game properly. Ron was looking worried.

"It's not – if it was a trap he would have used it to save his Joker Knight. That's a spell...whatever that defence monster is, it had better be able to hold against those Harpies."

Adding a new card to her hand, Mai selected her next move.

"Time for my girls to wrap this up," she grinned. "I summon Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon!"

Diving from the top of a cliff, and landing ungracefully between the two remaining Harpie's was possibly the cutest dragon in Duel Monsters – pink with a green crest of armour on its head, is purred as Harpie Lady 1 descended and began to rub it lovingly behind the ears (1200/600).

"And with two Harpie's on my field, my Baby Dragon gets stronger!" Mai announced, as the dragon seemed to grow in size until it was the size of a full grown lion (2400/1200).

"Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon, destroy his facedown monster!"

The dragon scuttled across the arena and pounced on the card. Skilled Dark Magician appeared briefly before vanishing.

"Attack him directly my Harpies!" Mai ordered.

They screeched in joy, vanishing up into the clouds and descending on Yami in a whirl of talons.

**Life Points**

Yami: 900

Mai: 3800

"Come on Yugi, I've got five Galleons riding on this!" Ron bellowed. He was elbowed by from both sides by his secrecy-conscious friends, but over the cheers of Mai's fans, nobody had heard him.

"I end my turn," Mai declared, leaving Yami to draw once more.

"I summon Skilled White Magician to the field!"

Ron began cheering in Harry's ear, though Harry could not see why as the short robed mage appeared (1700/1900). Mai, on the other hand, tensed.

"Next I activate Pot of Greed."

He swiped two more cards from his deck, and one of the orbs on Skilled White Magician's clothing began to glow.

"Oooh this is gonna be good!" Ron was grinning.

"What do those lights mean?" Hermione asked, a little worried at how happy Yugi's fans were. Harry was curious too, but Ron waved a hand at them to silence them.

"Next I activate my facedown card!" Yami waved a hand over the card, and it lifted. "Magical Stone Excavation!" Moving fast, he discarded Five Star Twilight and Valkyrion the Magna Warrior, causing another card to reappear from his graveyard. "To bring back Pot of Greed!"

Another stone lit up on Skilled White Magician, and Mai groaned as Yami pressed the card into his duel disk again and drew another two cards, causing the final orb to light up.

"I tribute Skilled White Magician for Buster Blader!"

Skilled White Magician glowed and seemed to morph into the armoured warrior, clutching a thick sword (2600/2300). It tensed at the sight of Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon and its attack immediately shot up (3600/2300). Mai gasped, realising too late that she had sealed her own fate – she had been forced to discard Harpie's Pet Dragon for Hysteric Party, and now it and her Pet Baby Dragon were boosting Buster Blader's points.

"It ends here Mai," Yami declared. "I equip Buster Blader with Excalibur, doubling its original attack points!"

The buster sword vanished, replaced with a glowing longsword that seemed to infuse the warrior with power (6200/2300).

"Now my mighty warrior, attack Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon with Holy Sword Strike!"

The Harpie's took off in fright as Buster Blader charged forwards. Excalibur seemed to flare with power before the warrior struck hard at the dragon, beheading it with a single strike and shattering it into pixels. The backlash of power caused Mai to stumble, but she remained standing.

**Life Points**

Yami: 900

Mai: 0

The fans erupted into screams, and Harry and Ron cheered with them, drowning out the announcer declaring Yugi to be the winner. Hermione looked a little put out at losing, but she applauded enthusiastically regardless as both duellists shut their disks off and met in the middle of the arena to shake hands. Neither of them looked disappointed at the outcome.

"Mai's taking it well," Harry noted.

"Of course she is," Hermione said. "She enjoyed herself, and she knows that's what matters."

"Yeah, sure," Ron said sceptically. "So my five Galleons, Hermione?"

He held out a hand expectantly, and Hermione reluctantly passed them over. Harry rolled his eyes as Ron gleefully counted his winnings.

"So is that it, or are you betting on the next outcome?" he asked, squinting at the screen as Mai's picture turned black and Yugi's moved up to the final box. "Joey against...Kaiba."

"I'm backing Kaiba," Hermione said immediately.

"What?" Ron snorted. "Why would you back him? Joey's good, and Kaiba's really stuck up."

Hermione gave him a lofty look. "What can I say? I've read their match stats – the odds are all on Kaiba. And besides, I like his style."

At this, Ron frowned. "Didn't know you liked dragons so much..." a thought occurred to him and his voice turned accusing. "Unless it's not the dragons you like..."

"Honestly Ron, you are ridiculous sometimes!"

OOO

"Aww man..." Joey whined, slumping down in his seat. "I don't know whether to be happy Yugi won or sad that Mai lost."

"Can't you be both?" Tea asked obviously.

"Nah, that's far too complicated for him," Duke smirked.

"Zip it Duke!"

Ryou snickered, his hands tingly from clapping. Bakura was huffing in his soul room that he did not have a loss to rub in the Pharaoh's face, but Ryou could tell he was pleased – if Yami were going to lose, Bakura would want it to be against him.

Seeing the competitors walk offstage, Joey gave a yelp as he realised he needed to be downstairs for the next round (Kaiba had left ten minutes earlier), and he shot off towards the door, leaving a cloud of dust in his wake. Everyone chuckled, and seeing his father glancing anxiously in his direction, Ryou decided he needed some fresh air, and possibly the bathroom before the next round. He got up and stretched, and tapped Tristan on the shoulder to indicate where he was going.

He was neither surprised nor pleased, when his father got up and followed.

/_Want me to distract him?_/

/_No thank you Bakura..._/ Ryou replied wearily.

"Ryou?"

Heaving a sigh that he knew was audible, Ryou stopped, still facing his direction of travel rather than the direction of the voice. "Yes father?"

He heard the footsteps stop not too far away from him, and he knew he was being deliberately irritating. He also knew he suddenly did not care anymore. It was too much effort to make a show of caring.

"I was wondering where you went to last night," his father asked. "I wanted to talk to you."

Sighing again, exasperated now, Ryou continued to stare at the wall. "I stayed with Malik."

There was a long silence, and Ryou wondered just what his father was thinking. "...with Malik?"

"Yes," he turned on his heel and faced the older man, with his arms folded. "With Malik."

"...all night?"

Now his cheeks were burning and he spluttered through his indignation. "Oh God, what are you trying to insinuate?! Yes, all night, and we raided the mini bar and invited four girls back when the alcohol ran dry."

In his soul room, Bakura roared with laughter at the astonished look on Adrian's face. Unsure what exactly had come over him, Ryou felt his cheeks heat up even further at his bold statement, but he kept his arms folded firmly.

"Nothing happened," he clarified, seeing that his father could not tell if he was joking or not. "And even if something had happened, it's none of your business."

"I'm your father, of course it's my business!" was it Ryou's imagination, or did he sound hurt at that? He felt surprise radiating from Bakura, and guessed that it may not be just him.

"It wasn't your business for the past three years," he reminded him. "I see how you're looking at me, Dad. You can't tell what I'm thinking. You don't know if I'm being serious, or joking. You don't know me at all. You signed all the cheques and permission forms, but never a letter."

"I wrote to you on your birthday!" he objected. A desperate sigh burst from Ryou's mouth.

"You wrote a card, attached to a gift – like I was a cousin or an uncle that you were obligated to be nice to. Not a child that you're supposed to care about." He gave a dry snort. "But then I suppose I never was a child, was I? Children aren't made to live on their own at fifteen years old."

"You know why I had to do that," Adrian argued. "We even talked about this before I accepted it! They needed me back in the field, not heading my research project from a museum in Japan! I couldn't just give up my job – we needed to eat!"

"And I needed a father!" Ryou did not even notice he had started shouting, until the words bounced back off the walls and rattled his head. He lowered his voice slightly, but the words still rang in his ears.

"Do you have any idea how scared I was? I was on my own, in a country I barely knew, with things going on around me – to people I was close to – that I couldn't explain. I needed someone to protect me, and you weren't there to do it. Not to get me help when I started blacking out and waking up with no memory and blood on my hands. Not when I was in hospital after Battle City. You weren't there when I needed someone to tell me that it wasn't my fault that they both died!"

/_Oh Ryou..._/ Bakura had meant to be quiet, but Ryou heard it none the less.

"You knew something was happening to me – I saw it in your eyes each time someone else slipped into a coma. Each time I couldn't remember the date or time – but you didn't want to deal with it. It was so much easier if you could just slip off to Egypt and pretend I was fine..." he shook his head bitterly. "Well I wasn't fine, Dad. I needed you. And I don't care if you can handle it now – if you're over everything that has happened enough to start caring about me again. I needed you _then _not now."

"Ryou..." Adrian looked hurt, but Ryou shook his head.

"No. It's too late Dad. I'm not fifteen anymore. And you can't just come back after three years and expect me to still need looking after." He took a deep breath. "When the tournament is over and we've packed up here, I'm moving out of the flat in Domino. I think that will be best for both of us."

He turned and headed for the exit once more, feeling his fists tremble at his side. Bakura had gone quiet, and he was glad. He did not want to talk to him just yet.

"Ryou, you can't live on your own," his father looked like he was trying to establish some sense of reason in a conversation that had made very little sense to him. "You're still in high school! Where are you going to get the money to live by yourself?"

Ryou paused, long enough to look over his shoulder and shoot his father a withering look.

"I'm a duellist, Dad. I've been saving my prize money since I was sixteen."

Now Adrian was genuinely dumbfounded. "You've been saving for two years? Why?"

A tiny hiccup broke into Ryou's throat, and he swallowed it hard before replying quietly.

"Because I always knew that this day would come."

Head bowed, he hurried away down the corridor, relieved when his father made no move to follow him.

Ryou walked as fast as he dared before he was sure he had to be out of earshot. He broke into a run, coming to a stop not far from the entrance. The area was quiet - nobody was missing a second of the semi-finals for something as trivial as a bathroom break.

The realisation that he would have to go back soon - to watch the match and sit by a father who surely hated him now - washed over him. He did not cry. He did not have any energy left to feel anything any longer about his situation. Instead he leaned in to the drinking fountain and flicked the switch. The water was icy and hit him in the cheek, and he scooped a handful up before splashing it onto his face. Strangely his head felt much clearer, like he had been suffering a cold his whole life and his sinuses had finally unblocked.

/_...it wasn't your fault, you know_/

The voice was low and firm, and took Ryou by surprise. He saw his yami leaning incorporally against the wall, gazing down at the floor, but there was no one else who he could have been speaking to.

/_Yeah...I know that now_/ Finished with his face, he took a sip from the fountain. The water tasted of metal, and he rubbed the bridge of his nose as the beginnings of brain freeze began to appear.

/_I shouldn't have said those things...God I shouldn't have. I'm such a brat/_

_/Ryou.../_

_/__No, I was! He didn't deserve that! I was really unfair!_/ he pinched the bridge of his nose again though the brain freeze had long gone. Self loathing crept through the pores of his skin and flooded his body. /_Why did I say all those things?_/

/_Because you were angry_/ Bakura said, in a rare show of patience. /_And justly so. __Ryou, whether they were unfair or not, it doesn't mean they weren't true. You needed to say them..._/ he trailed off before posing the next question. /_Did you mean what you said, about-_/

He broke off, something catching his eye at the end of the corridor. A shimmering ripple in the air, like someone pushing into the back of a mirror and distorting the reflection. Drawing Shadow Magic into himself, Bakura fleshed his soul out and glared furiously at the distortion.

"You know, for magical policemen, you both suck at hiding!" he barked sharply. There was a horrified intake of breath – clearly Bakura's appearance had taken them off guard – and Ryou's head whipped around in time to see the Disillusionment charm lift, and Dawlish and Adams appear on the corner of the corridor. Dawlish looked nervous, glancing to Adams (obviously his superior) for instruction, while Adams just rested casually against the wall. Both of them looked completely ridiculous, dressed in fancy waistcoats worn over rugby shirts. Dawlish wore a necktie to complete his ensemble.

"What the hell are you two doing here?!" Ryou snapped, feeling uncharacteristically infuriated at their presence.

/_You are on fire today, my light_/ Bakura grinned in a nasty manner. Ryou decided not to dignify that with an answer. Bad enough that he had shouted such terrible things to his father (_though Baukra had a point_, a nasty part of his mind reasoned, _he had deserved it_) but now he found out that the aurors had probably been watching the entire fight. He was beyond embarrassed – he was seething.

"That is really none of your business, young man," Dawlish began to say, but Adams waved him back.

"He's just curious," he said, with a sneer directed in Ryou's direction. "No doubt he's just worried that our presence here should be a cause for alarm. No harm in putting him straight." His eyes flicked over Bakura and then back to Ryou. "The Ministry always takes concern in such large scale muggle events – they are a prime target for dark forces after all. We have merely been posted here to keep an eye on the situation."

"Bullshit!" Bakura spat. "You've been stalking us all since we arrived here. I've seen sandstorms with more attempts at subtlety." He gave a snort, and Ryou felt his deck slide from his back pocket – Bakura wanted some fun, and that was fine by him. "But fine. Let's play your game and pretend that you have been here to keep an eye on things – why haven't you been helping? Or were you just nipping off for bathroom breaks each time one of our friends was brainwashed into attacking us?"

To give Dawlish his due, he did look surprised, but Ryou could not tell if it was genuine or just good acting. Adams lifted an eyebrow and eyed Bakura up, clearly trying to see what he could make of this opponent. As far as Ryou was aware, the Ministry knew nothing about the yamis, but then again, they knew for a fact that Adams was working with Death Eaters, which meant he probably had at least some idea of who he was dealing with.

Feeling he may as well make his point clear as possible, Bakura flicked his knife into view and was pleased to see both men reach for their wands. His fingertips caressed the blade. Ryou had to admit, he looked impressive.

"_Ryou..."_

"A message for your master – your true one," Bakura made sure to look directly at Adams as he spoke. "We know he's back. We know he's up to something. But whatever his little scheme is, we're already one step ahead of him."

/_Since when?_/ Ryou put in.

/_Shh, they don't need to know I'm bluffing_/

"_Ryou."_

"I have no idea what you mean," Adams said, in a flat and emotionless voice. Bakura sneered at him.

"I'm so sure."

"Ryou turn around, for God's sake!"

Whirling in alarm, Ryou's eyes were directed down the left hand corridor that led to the next section of seating. His hands were shaking and his heart was beating rapidly. He had to be hearing things. He could not have just heard her...

But there she was. Pale and sweating with the effort of holding herself in that world, Amane still managed to put her hands on her hips and glare at her brother for not paying attention. Now that he saw her, Ryou wondered how on earth he could have missed the erratic spikes of Shadow Magic flickering around her like a thundercloud.

"Amane!" Forgetting completely about the aurors not twenty meters away, Ryou took off down the other corridor and threw his arms around his sister. Sure enough, she was as solid and real as Akila had been the day before, and she squeezed back as though she were trying to glue herself to him.

Bakura remained standing, awestruck at what he was seeing, but as the aurors moved in the corner of his eye to investigate the apparent distraction, he remembered that they were not alone. Fingering his deck gently, he felt the card he wanted and grinned madly as the corridor walls warped and shrank inwards until the gap was the size of a postage stamp. The aurors roared in frustration, and spells began to fly.

"_Who says Narrow Corridor is useless?"_ Bakura thought to himself.

"Are you okay?" Ryou was whispering. "Is Akila alright? We saw her-"

"I know," direct, and to the point, Amane cut him off. "She's fine. Listen, don't worry about us for now – we've got someone watching over us now, so we'll be fine."

"Who?" not wanting to intrude completely, Bakura had hung back a few steps from the siblings, but concern for his own sister now forced him to interrupt the conversation.

"Ask Kaiba," Amane said, hurrying over her words – clearly she did not have much time. "He's the one who sent her, I think. Now listen." She drew a deep breath.

"I only know a little, so I need to be quick. I know you've worked out Voldemort is back. He is. But he's got help. That was how we got pulled from the Dominion of Lost Souls. He still wants his immortality, but he's wary of the Orichalcos now, after what it did to him last time, so he's being more careful about it. He's making sure to use other people to gather the souls for him, to distance himself from it as much as he can."

"The brainwashed duellists!" Ryou realised. Amane nodded.

"He's targeting all of you because you've all fought it before and won – you guys, Yugi and the Pharaoh, Joey, Mai – everyone who's ever played an Orichalcos duel is now at risk. So keep an eye on all of them."

"Who's brainwashing them?" Ryou thought to ask, his eyes narrowing as he remembered just who they had been talking to not moments ago. "Adams? The auror?"

Amane shook her head. "I'm not sure. It might be. It might not be. I don't see everything, so keep an open mind – ask the cards. They might know."

Something was nagging at Bakura's mind as he thought about the duellists who had been targeted by the Orichalcos. That covered most of the competing duellists in this tournament – Yugi and the Pharaoh obviously. Wheeler and Valentine, as Amane had said. Kaiba definitely. Yugi's cheerleaders. Kaiba's little brother, Devlin and Hawkins, though they had never been in Orichalcos duels, they had been closely linked to the first fiasco. And if you included all the matches in the past year in the wizarding world, that included himself, Ryou and...

His mind shuddered to a halt.

"Malik," he said suddenly, causing both siblings to look at him. "He's got Malik hasn't he? That's why he hasn't texted – why Odion was attacked!"

Ryou, already pale from the revelations of that morning, turned a ghostly shade of white.

"He doesn't have Malik," Amane was quick to say. "But he is in danger. He was taken to the Shadow Realm this morni-"

It was too late – the twisting maelstrom of Shadow Magic suddenly became violent as it finally registered someone had broken out of their Penalty Game. It seeped over Amane like sticky tar, and as she realised her time was up, it was already too late to struggle free.

"No! Let me go!"

Panicking now, Ryou linked his arms around his sister's back and pulled with all his might. He felt Bakura behind him, adding his own strength and pulling with him. Straining they succeeded, Amane sliding out of the blackness by a few inches. But the Shadows were angry, and a single tendril lashed out, striking Ryou hard across the chest and breaking his grasp. They stumbled back and crashed painfully on the floor, Bakura grunting as Ryou landed on top of him.

Sore and shaking, Ryou lifted his head just in time to see Amane's face vanish into the shadows. Despair welled up inside him and sobs turned into pain filled gasps – the shadows had knocked the wind out of him, torn a huge rip in his shirt, and left a nasty looking graze all the way up his stomach and chest. None of it ached half as much as knowing that he had let Amane down once more.

"Shit..." Bakura leaned back against the floor, sounding equally out of breath. Ryou curled in on himself, letting out a mewl of pain as the broken skin on his stomach protested at being moved. He felt Bakura pulling himself up and demanding to see what had happened, and heard his dark swearing as he saw the graze. None of it mattered to him anymore.

Both of them froze suddenly as they realised that something was trying to get their attention. Ryou felt the tug around his neck, and the glow from his chest as the Millennium Ring burst into life, the pointers jangling with energy. In the midst of all the confusion, they had sensed something amiss.

"Oh for Ra's sake!" Bakura barked. "Now what?!"

Ryou said nothing as he held out the Ring and let the spikes do their work. Slowly all but the two on the left dropped, directing him up the corridor they had just come from.

"Ryou-" But Ryou was already on his feet, sprinting off in the right direction, with a look Bakura had never seen on him before.

It was the look he himself wore when he had murder on his mind.

OOO

"Let's duel!"

The audience roared with excitement.

"This won't take long," Kaiba promised, smirking widely as he drew his hand up to six.

"Keep dreaming, Rich Boy," Joey rolled his eyes. Across the field he could have sworn he saw Kaiba flinch.

"Whatever," the CEO growled, setting a card facedown and summoning Vorse Raider. "Get on with it Wheeler. The sooner this is over, the sooner I can get to Yugi."

Joey visibly twitched. "Hold your horses, Kaiba! You haven't beaten me yet!" He drew and a shudder shot through his heart. Kaiba gave no outward expression, but by the way he just _paused_ for an instant, Joey knew he had felt the same thing.

"_Oh man, this is not good,"_ Joey thought. "_I hope Yugi and the guys are okay..."_ resolve steeled his nerves. "_Okay, gotta beat Kaiba first, then I can go help."_

"Y'know what, Kaiba, you're not the only one who's eager to finish this quickly," Joey said, slapping a card onto his duel disk. "So let's go! I summon Gearfried the Iron Knight!"

OOO

With the main corridor exit blocked by Bakura's Narrow Corridor spell and a pair of fuming aurors, Ryou had no choice but to take the long route. The Ring tugged and jerked around his neck, glowing fiercely like a torch and his feet ached as he pounded up the fifth flight of steps. Still the pointers urged him upwards, and ignoring the stitch in his side, he took the next flight, hanging heavily onto the railing. He heard Bakura thundering up behind him, taking the exercise with far more energy and grace.

./_Ryou, slow the hell down!_/ the thief barked, not wanting to waste breath yelling aloud.

/_They're part of this Bakura! They've hurt my sister!_/

/_I know! But slow down, and let me go back to the Ring! I'm no good to you stuck outside the Seal, and I want a piece of them too!_/

A furious retort was on Ryou's lips, until he caught a glimpse of Bakura catching up to him below, and the frustration being wiped by deep fury. Of course, he remembered. He wasn't the only one here with a sister to protect.

So he slowed to a jog, allowing Bakura to vanish back to the Ring, and hauled himself up the last flight of stairs. Gasping at the sudden exhaustion, he found the doorway to the roof ahead, and threw himself at it, tumbling out into fresh air, and the sounds of excited screams below.

The roof, was not in fact a roof. It was the top of the front section of the building. If you jumped off it on Ryou's left, you'd end up in a messy heap in front of the main entrance. If you jumped off the right, you'd end up in a messy heap in the stadium. But Ryou had no intention of jumping or ending up in a heap (messy or otherwise). He felt something small and cold strike his hand, and he looked around as the first few fat raindrops splattered on the concrete. The air was unseasonably cold.

"About time you made it up here."

Ryou had expected for it to be someone he knew, and he did indeed know the voice from two days of sharing a competitor booth with it. But that did not make it any less of a bitter pill to swallow, as Hana Nasri slowly lifted her head. She gave no attention to the roars of dragons below her, or the shrieks of the excited crowd. She looked like a statue that had suddenly taken life. There was a crunch of gears, and a whirring sound, as the stadium's machinery kicked in and began to drag the giant white marquee over the stadium, to protect the duellists and spectators from the approaching storm.

"_Prepared at the first sight of rain. How British,"_ Ryou though ironically to himself, knowing that duelling was a lot like rugby – it wouldn't be called off for anything less than a nuclear holocaust, and then only long enough to make sure the duel disks were working again. But at least now the marquee was over, there was no chance anyone would see what was about to take place, and come investigating. Putting the people in the stadium in danger was the last thing he wanted.

"Hana," he began, trying to keep his voice calm. "Who gave you the Seal and the stone? I know you've got them."

The young woman shrugged. "Don't know. Don't care." She activated her duel disk. "I guess there's no point in explaining the situation – you seem to know it all – so get your disk out. I've got better things to be doing than beating wimps!"

Ryou's round eyes sharpened to a deadly note as Bakura surged to the front of his light's mind.

"Do you know what happens if you lose with the Seal in play?" he demanded. "Or did your benefactors neglect to tell you that important little detail?"

The Imperius Curse was depressingly strong, and Hana merely shrugged. "A soul is a soul. It's all part of the plan. Now hurry up! This weather is unbearable!"

/_There's no way she could have realised that independently if she was under the control of the curse_/ Ryou said. /_Whoever's controlling her must be nearby – close enough to feel the rain themselves!_/

Taking his duel disk from his pocket, Bakura's eyes swept across the tiny rooftop. There were rows of benches, all quickly turning dark with the raindrops, and a metal box with cigarette butts hanging out of it. Ryou squinted, expecting to see someone under another Disillusionment charm, but the rain was quickly obscuring everything else. Giving up, he retreated back into his mind to watch as Bakura shoved his deck into his duel disk, and activated it.

/_Don't hold back_/ Ryou felt himself saying. /_We need to get to the bottom of this before anyone else gets hurt. Beat her quickly, and then we'll shake her for answers._/

Pleased at the invitation to be as ruthless as he wanted, Bakura gave a humourless laugh as the tray slid into place and the life point counter registered eight thousand.

/_Its an Orichalcos Duel, hikari. There may not be anything left of her to shake..._/

OOO

Okay it wasn't much of a cat, and the bag was pretty transparent, but it's out now. Don't forget to review!

**Card Specs**

_Name:_ Aero Nail

_Card Type: _Equip Spell Card

_Image: _A long curved blade attached to a purple bracer.

_Card Text: _Equip only to "Harpie Lady". The equipped monster gains 300 attack points. If the equipped monster is removed from the field, you can equip this card to another "Harpie Lady" on the field instead of sending it to the Graveyard.

_This card was first used by Mai Valentine in Episode 172: Fighting for a Friend – Part 4_

_Name:_ Harpie Lady Phoenix Formation

_Card Type: _Normal Spell Card

_Image: _A circle of runes enclosing a flaming blue phoenix.

_Card Text: _Activate only if you control a face-up "Harpie Lady". Destroy monsters on your opponent's side of the field equal to the number of "Harpie Lady" monsters you control. Inflict damage to your opponent equal to the total attack of the destroyed monster(s). You cannot conduct your Battle Phase during the turn you activate this card. You can only activate 1 "Harpie Lady Phoenix Formation" per turn.

_This card was first used by Mai Valentine in Episode 152: My Freaky Valentine – Part 2_

_Name:_ Excalibur

_Card Type: _Equip Spell Card

_Image: _A silver longsword against a glowing blue background.

_Card Text:_ Double the equipped monster's original attack points. You can skip your Draw Phase each turn. When you draw a card(s) destroy this card.

_This card was first used by Yami in Episode 164: Reliving the Past_


	10. Chapter 10: Fallout

**A/N: **If anyone was curious about the sudden change to Diabound's effect in this chapter compared to my previous story, that's because there now exists a simpler and more sensible ruling on the Yu-Gi-Oh! Wikia, which I'm now running with rather than the estimated rulings that were used for the last story. This should make everything a bit simpler.

Once again 7th Librarian plotted this entire duel (with a little well placed bribery from myself), and in the interests of getting chapters out on time, we've decided just to put a big original card list for the whole story in the last chapter, rather than do a million little ones at the end of each duel. If you really can't wait that long, please PM either 7th Librarian or myself.

On a completely unrelated note, I am beyond pissed off to find that AdultFanfiction has recently been blocked by my browser because it contains malware (not sure if this is just Google Chrome, or a wider thing). I'm pissed because one of the best fanfiction writers that I've ever had the pleasure of reading is on AdultFanfiction (she's on MediaMiner too, but she doesn't update there as regularly as she does on AFF). If anyone happens to be in the know about this situation with the website having malware, can you just let me know if this is a wider problem, and if it is looking to be a permanent issue?

And now I've distracted you enough. Read on!

OOO

**Chapter 10: Fallout**

The rain pelted down on the concrete, each droplet like a bullet against the tarpaulin below. Bakura shook his dripping bangs out of his face and stared down his opponent. She did not flinch, the spark of cruelty lighting her deep brown eyes as she drew her opening hand.

/_Hana Nasri...hikari?_/

Ryou knew what he was asking – Bakura had not been watching much of round one, and he had completely ignored Hana's match against Seto the day before. After all, it would be a cold day in hell before Kaiba lost to anyone who's name was not Yugi.

/_Second place in the African championships. Fairies. Darklord to be precise_/

Bakura had never heard of them, and he groaned. This was an added complexity that he did not need, and he yanked his sixth card out of his deck.

"Let's get this over with," he muttered, scanning his hand, and grinning.

"_Let's see the Orichalcos best my strategy."_

"I'll start by activating the spell card Take Over 5. This simply allows me to send the top five cards of my deck to my graveyard."

He yanked the cards out of the disk and slotted them into the graveyard, watching them slide in one at a time, each one furthering his options. Take Over 5 was right behind them.

"Now I can banish Take Over 5 from my graveyard to special summon my Death Magic Soul to the field."

The first monster appeared in a whirl of black shadow, revealing a floating purple cloak, with wisps of black shadow creeping out of the edges. The cloak was pulled back to reveal a sinister looking smiling face (900/100).

"Now for my next trick," the King of Thieves smirked. "I activate my Flute of Hammelin. Now I can choose a monster that went to my graveyard this turn, and send all copies of it to the graveyard. And I think my Necro Mannequin will do just fine."

Creepy and yet seductive music weaved over the rooftop, and the two monsters slid out of Bakura's deck before disappearing into the depths of his graveyard.

"And now for some bigger guns," Bakura cocked his head at Death Magic Soul. "I'll tribute Death Magic Soul for my Dark Ruler Ha Des!"

Where the floating purple cloak had been standing, there now loomed a green skinned fiend, robed in heavy purple velvet and armour plating (2450/1200). It sneered across the field at the girl, who just arched an unimpressed brow.

"And with two cards facedown, I end my turn," Bakura declared, emptying his hand and folding his arms cockily. "Your turn, Hana."

She rolled his eyes. "Smugness won't get you a victory, Thief King."

Bakura's eyes narrowed. "Keh. Death Eaters filled you in then? If you knew what was good for you, you'd have thrown that stone back in their faces sooner than challenge me."

"A five thousand year old fluke binding you to a piece of jewellery does not make you powerful," Hana declared, pulling her sixth card from her deck and studying it. "And I aim to prove it."

"You are certainly encouraged to try," Bakura shrugged casually.

/_Bakura, don't goad her_/ Ryou warned. /_We need to see if we can coax some answers out of her, and she won't do that if she's mad_/

/_Well we all know I'm not the coaxing type_/ Bakura drawled back. /_And if you ask me, she's more likely to blurt something out if she's furious_/

Hana had barely enough time to check her new card, before Bakura hit a button and caused one of his set cards to rise. "Now it's your standby phase, I'll activate my Message of Destiny trap card. Now during each of your standby phases, if I have an empty hand-" he waved the appendages to demonstrate. "-I can send one Destiny Board or Spirit Message card from my deck to my graveyard. If all five of them are sent to the graveyard this way, then I win."

Hana hissed. "So it's doing Destiny Board without taking up your spell and trap card zones!"

"Indeed," Bakura smirked. "I'm not stupid. I know if you get the Seal out, Dark Sanctuary is useless to me, and my strategy would be dead. This is far more reliable."

As he spoke, he slipped the fearful trap card into his graveyard. The board swam into existence above his head, the arrow moving slowly over the 'D' and illuminating the sky with a fiery version overhead.

"Hey!" Hana objected. "Destiny Board doesn't start with D! Your board reads 'FINAL'. I've seen it!"

Bakura shrugged. "There are two versions of artwork for the Destiny Board series. Not many people know that when the cards were first designed the board read 'DEATH' instead. But then the moral guardians put their foot in it, and Industrial Illusions were forced to change the text to 'FINAL'. I was lucky enough to get my hands on a 'DEATH' series a couple of months ago." He smirked. "It's too bad the moral guardians also say I can't use 'DEATH' in official tournaments. 'DEATH' is more...me."

"Well then," Hana relaxed a little. "I guess you won't mind me sending you there. I activate Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen!"

The spell card was set in the tray, and the roof was immediately surrounded by beautiful pillars of stone. Wreathes of flowers criss-crossed their way up the columns, and curtains swayed in the breeze. It would have been breathtaking had the rain not still been coming down in sheets.

/_Uh oh..._/ Ryou thought.

/Yeah/ Bakura's knowledge of fairy monsters was sketchy, but he did know what this card meant. /_She's bringing out the big guns early/_

"I summon Darklord Asmodeus, in attack mode!"

There was a swirl of light from the hall, and emerging from behind a curtain was the fairy, robed in white, with ornate black armour plates and a feathered headdress. His wings were black to contrast the headdress, and it snarled at Bakura in a way that promised retribution (3000/2500).

"And now for Asmodeus's effect," Hana announced. "I send one fairy from my deck to my graveyard. So off goes Athena."

The white robed warrior-fairy appeared for just an instant before vanishing like a ghost.

"Don't mess around, do you?" Bakura quipped.

"Expecting a slow build up?" Hana asked smugly. "I'm not your average fairy duellists. I don't do slow. Observe. Asmodeus, attack Dark Ruler Ha Des with Redemption Strike!"

The fairy seemed to vanish into the air, leaving only black feathers floating to the ground in its wake. Bakura smirked, and pressed another button on his duel disk. His second facedown card lifted, and Darklord Asmodeus flew straight into the brilliant shield of light, sliding down comically to the ground.

"Sorry Asmodeus, perhaps you'd like to try getting past Spirit Shield before you go after my monsters," Bakura said, slipping a Necro Mannequin into his pocket. "As long as I have fiends or zombies in my graveyard, you can't touch me."

Hana scowled, set one card, and waved him on. Bakura drew and shrugged.

"I'll set this, and call it a turn," he said casually.

/_All I have to do is keep my force safe as a defence_/ he thought to himself. /_And wait another four turns for Destiny Board to fill itself in_/

/_Be careful Bakura_/ Ryou cautioned. /_The best laid plans of mice and men..._/

/_Are you calling me a mouse, hikari?_/ Bakura demanded.

/_Never mind_/ Ryou sighed. /_I'm just saying be careful. You know how fast this game can change_/

He did know, but Bakura was determined. Even if something detrimental did happen to Destiny Board, he still had back up plans. In the mean time, he would chip her points down, so that if worst did come to worst, he could at least try to zero her quickly.

Eyeing his fresh set card warily, Hana drew and the spirits swarmed around Bakura again. The Ouija board moved its arrow slowly, and the second flaming letter appeared. Bakura slipped 'Spirit Message – E' into the graveyard.

Hana's eyes flicked up at the board before she got on with her move. "I activate Trade-In, discarding one of my level eight monsters in order to draw two cards."

A creepy looking black fairy called Darklord Superbia vanished into her graveyard, and she plucked two more cards from the pile. Bakura couldn't help but think that if the Pharaoh were here right now, he would be ranting about ruthlessly throwing your monsters away for more cards. But he was not the Pharaoh, and Hana was not in her right mind. So he just let her get on with it, sending a quick prayer to the Gods that she didn't draw the Seal.

"I summon Gellenduo to the field, in attack mode!" Hana announced. In the intimidating shadow of Darklord Asmodeus appeared two tiny little marshmallow-like shapes. One was a pale green, while the other was pink. Each of them had halos and circled around each other, squeaking in joy and delight (1700/0).

"I should be putting those on top of my hot chocolate!" Bakura snorted. "They're harmless!"

"You're an idiot," Hana declared. "Were you not watching any of my duels?"

"I...may have fallen asleep..." Bakura admitted. Hana seemed to inflate with rage.

"I'm going to make you regret that! Gellenduo have a special ability – aside from counting as two tributes for a tribute summon, they can't be destroyed in battle! So good luck, but these marshmallows don't melt so easily!"

She chose her next card swiftly. "I activate the continuous spell card, Card Taxation! Now I select one card on the field, and if the owner uses its effect, their opponent can draw one card. And I think your Spirit Shield-"

"I chain!" Bakura interrupted, his facedown flipping up as the spell streaked across the field. "Fiend's Hand Mirror – now I can redirect the target of Card Taxation to another card – and I choose Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen!"

Hana gave a shriek of disbelief as the spell hit the mirror and the walls of the hall began to glow ominously.

"Darklord Asmodeus, attack Dark Ruler Ha Des!"

Once again, the fairy vanished, and once more, Spirit Shield lit up in front of Dark Ruler Ha Des, sparkling as raindrops slid off it. Asmodeus was wise enough not to slam into it this time, but he still glared furiously at the fiend, who just tipped his glass of wine to him in a sporting fashion.

"Care to try again?" Bakura asked, slipping another Necro Mannequin into his pocket.

"Yes I do!" Hana announced. "I activate my trap card, Combo Strike!" Her trap lifted slowly. "Now because the attack of my monster was negated, I can do it again! Asmodeus, destroy him!"

The fairy vanished again. Sighing heavily, Bakura removed the last Necro Mannequin from his graveyard, causing the shield to flare once more.

"You're going to run out eventually!" Hana jeered, setting a card facedown. "I just have to wait! I end my turn!"

Bakura drew and smiled over the field at her. "Don't wait too long. You don't know when your destiny will catch up with you." He looked upwards to the half finished Destiny Board. "But this won't be very interesting if I just sit here and watch the fates play their spelling game. So I'll activate my Pot of Greed."

He slotted the card in, and the laughing jar appeared momentarily before bursting into fragments. Seeing his two cards, Bakura cackled.

"Things just got a lot more interesting!" he proclaimed. "I activate ParaNormal Fusion! Now I can send a fiend or zombie from my banished pile back to my graveyard, and summon their fusion monster! So I'll fuse my three Necro Mannequins to summon my Necro Puppeteer!"

The three twisted mannequins appeared before the thief, their limbs popping apart one by one and reworking themselves into a new shape. With thin spindly legs, and a torso made up of five pairs of arms linked together, Bakura's Puppeteer lurched upright, its head twisting up from its spine and popping loudly into place. Long strings trailed from its fingertips and a purple cloak wrapped itself loosely around the puppeteer's shoulders (2000/2000).

Hana smirked. "Why thank you. So kind for a thief to seal his own demise."

"What are you on about?" Bakura demanded, folding his arms in an unimpressed fashion.

"By special summoning a monster, you've allowed me to chain my quickplay spell – Demise of the Land!"

Bakura recoiled from the sight of the spell. "Hana, think about what you're doing!"

"I am!" the girl snapped, as her deck spat a card out of the side. "I'm doing just as I was asked! Bringing the Death Eaters your soul!"

Her field slot opened and the card vanished to the depths of the duel disk. The winds spun around the duellists, splattering them both with stray raindrops, and the sickly green light burst out of Hana's duel disk. Bakura shielded his eyes as the powerful magic washed over his senses and engulfed him in its grasp. The Seal spread over the rooftop, scoring the six pointed star into the ground. Asmodeus (3000/2500 – 3500/2500) snarled and Gellenduo's (1700/0 – 2200/0) sweet countenance turned to malice as they were branded with the mark on their foreheads.

"Now that..." Hana declared, brushing the shorter bits of her hair away from her own seal. "Is real strength! I'm going to take you down!"

"I hesitate to remind you," Bakura said. "But it's still my turn."

"I know that!" the girl snapped. "So get on with it, _dom gat_!"

She had been brash and confident before, and now that had turned into wild arrogance. As Bakura wiped rainwater off his face and hastily tried to rethink his strategy, Ryou's voice threw his train of thought off.

/_I wish we knew her better...we might have been able to talk her out of it. If she were fighting Ali or Leon, or one of the other duellists that she's friends with..._/

/_Don't be stupid_/ Bakura rolled his eyes. /_You saw what happened yesterday. Kaiba's little brother had no problems being cruel to him under the Orichalcos, and Hermione couldn't get through to Ron even before the Seal was out. Whoever's doing the Imperius curse is too strong_/

Ryou was silent for a long time, before he spoke once more.

/_We can't draw, can we?_/

/_Unfortunately, no_/

/_...we have to beat her?_/

/_Just like we did Rex and Weevil_/ he felt Ryou flinch at the memory, but it did the job./_And the sooner the better before she has a chance to upset our strategy somehow. We need to attack_/

/_Set up some defence just in case. We can't afford to be reckless_/

"Hurry up!" Hana stamped her foot impatiently. "I don't have all day!"

"I'm giving you some time to contemplate your own foolishness," Bakura snapped back. "But if you insist – I'll use the effect of Necro Puppeteer, tributing it to summon back all three of my Necro Mannequins in defence mode!"

In a grotesque reflection of its earlier performance, the puppeteer's limbs popped off once more and rearranged themselves into the three small contortions of arms and legs (500/500).

/_That enough defence for you, hikari?_/

/_Yes, that is perfectly adequate_/

Pulling his smirk back on, Bakura gave the last card in his hand a confident look before placing it onto the disk.

"I tribute one of my Mannequins to summon Diabound Kernel!"

One of the Mannequins popped into nothing, replaced instead with Bakura's Ka. The snake tail hissed at Darklord Asmodeus, who just glared in response (1800/1200).

Hana burst out laughing. "Okay, now let me give you a moment to contemplate _your_ foolishness," she said spitefully. "Your monster is four hundred attack points short of my weakest!" She pointed at Gellenduo, who snarled at him with vicious looking teeth. "It'll rip it to shreds!"

"Should I break out the whipped cream?" the King of Thieves deadpanned. "You know nothing of Diabound's true power! Go my monster! Show Asmodeus your special gift!"

Diabound seemed to blur until it was almost indistinguishable from the rain-splattered ground, before slipping as silent as a serpent itself towards Asmodeus. The fairy peered here and there for the camouflaged fiend, but it found nothing until something seized it tightly in its grip. Asmodeus struggled, but his face was already paling and the power he radiated seem to drain into the floor (3000/2500 – 3500/2500 – 1700/2500).

Hana was beside herself with fury. "What did you do to my monster?!" she shrieked.

"Brought him down to size," Bakura sneered. "Diabound equips itself to a monster and reduces its attack by that of its own. The perfect weapon to fight against something as cripplingly broken as the Seal of Orichalcos!" He turned to his second monster. "Now my Dark Ruler, attack Darklord Asmodeus!"

The fiend tossed his wine glass over his shoulder and shot flames of purest black from his hands. Darklord Asmodeus caught fire and crumpled to the ground where he dissolved into a fine black ash. Rainwater soaked in and turned the ash to sludge. Gellenduo hissed angrily across the field before exploding into puddles of green and pink jelly.

**Life Points**

Bakura: 8000

Hana: 7250

Hana stamped her foot. "_Ag nee_! Now because I took damage, my Gellenduo are gone!"

"Yes, and even better," Bakura looked entirely too smug. "My Dark Ruler Ha Des's effect means that Asmodeus's effects are negated, so you can't summon the tokens in his place."

Hana snarled in a feral manner, as Diabound reappeared in the flesh on Bakura's side, arms crossed in defence mode. She yanked another card out of her deck, and another ghostly letter appeared above Bakura.

"Tick tock..." the thief king said, as the letters 'D' 'E' and 'A' hovered overhead like an ominous cloud.

"Oh shut up!" Hana studied her hand and ground her teeth together in obvious frustration. "A time limit doesn't worry me! I told you I don't hang around in duels."

"No, indeed, as you so readily hang around to let yourself be brainwashed," Bakura sniped.

"I'm not brainwashed," Hana retorted confidently, fingering the Orichalcos stone around her neck. "Just helping a better cause...to rid the world of everyone wrong in it!"

"Really?" Bakura's voice became cold. "And what's that you're wearing under the stone?"

Confused, Hana's fingers fumbled at her throat, eventually coming into contact with the small smooth cross. "How-"

"I'm a thief," Bakura sneered. "You think I wouldn't notice something gold hanging in plain sight? Now I'm not very up to date with these modern religions, but I'm pretty you wouldn't wear that if it wasn't important to you. And I'll bet anything that your faith would never condone the genocide of people just because they have no magic, or weren't born to magical parents. I fight good guys all the time, Hana, and you feel like a good person. You're just being manipulated by a cheap puppetmaster who likes to feed off anger."

Through the rain pelting against their faces, Bakura saw Hana stroking the gold, a contemplative look on her face. His heart raced hopefully, and he stood up straighter against the wind...

...Hana's blank look vanished, and her challenging smirk came back, along with the red spark of malice in her gaze.

"Nice try, Thief King," she said, slapping a monster onto her duel disk. "I use Valhalla Hall of the Fallen to special summon Airknight Parshath!"

An angelic man with white feathers, golden armour and the lower body of a palomino horse appeared, brandishing a dangerous looking spear at Bakura as the seal branded itself onto its forehead beneath the halo (1900/1400 – 2400/1400).

"And thank you very much," Bakura grinned. "Now thanks to Card Taxation, I can draw."

Inside though, Bakura felt disappointment fall like a heavy tapestry on his shoulders. /_I'm sorry Ryou_/

He felt his hikari sigh with regret.

/_It was worth a try. I guess even faith isn't enough to break the Orichalcos. Now we've got no choice...we have to beat her_/

/_So it seems..._/

"Well aren't you special?" Hana replied sarcastically. "Parshath, attack the Necro Mannequin on the left with heavenly strike!"

The knight reared back and charged at the doll. Bakura calmly slid his third Necro Mannequin out of the graveyard and into his pocket, and Spirit Shield burst into life again, sending the fairy monster reeling backwards, stamping and shaking his head to clear it.

"ARGH!" Hana raged, and almost threw her cards on the floor. Through damp bangs and the glowing seal, she glared at Bakura.

"I'm sorry, is this frustrating you?" Bakura asked innocently.

Teeth bared, Hana slapped her last card into her spell and trap zone. "Go!"

"As you wish," Bakura shrugged, drawing and adding to his hand of one. "Let's have some fun, shall we? I'll tribute one of my Mannequins for my Earl of Demise!"

The doll vanished, replaced with a bald blue skinned man with one bulging eye, robed in shabby finery, and wielding a wickedly thin rapier (2000/700).

"But before he gets to have his fun," Bakura said, raking his sopping hair out of his eyes. "Diabound, curse her Airknight Parshath!"

The fiend melted into the ground once more, oozing its way into Airknight Parshath, who thrashed and flailed as though trying to shake a wasp out of his armour (1900/1400 – 2400/1400 – 600/1400).

"Like I'd let you do that for free again!" Hana snapped, pressing a button on her duel disk. "I chain Card of Last Will to your Diabound's effect – now since my monster lost attack points, I can draw five cards."

She replenished her hand, while Bakura just gave a fiendish grin.

"Whatever makes you happy," he gave a condescending bow. "Earl of Demise, attack Airknight Parshath with Sword of Peril!"

Rather than lurch across the field as expected, the Earl zipped across, rapier flashing through the air, neatly bisecting Airknight Parshath through the middle. The tip of the fairy's blade clattered to the floor before it dissolved into the rain.

**Life Points**

Bakura: 8000

Hana: 5850

"Don't you dare!" Hana warned furiously, as Diabound reappeared on Bakura's side of the field.

"Oh where's the fun in that?" Bakura asked. "Diabound, Dark Ruler Ha Des, attack her directly!"

Hana had only a second to brace herself before black flames burst into life around her, and a shockwave of pure white energy sent her crashing backwards into the wall of the Seal. She fell to her knees coughing, her hands leaving little rivers of blood in the puddles.

**Life Points**

Bakura: 8000

Hana: 1600

"_Bliksem_!" the ancient magic flared, and Hana's breath returned in a roar. "_Jy sal nie so maklik wen nie_!"

Bakura spoke no Afrikaans, but knew enough about human behaviour to know that he was being sworn at. Quietly, he set one card and ended his turn. Still snarling, Hana drew, and the Ouija board creaked as letter 'T' appeared above Bakura's head.

/_I can taste our victory..._/ in spite of the horrific circumstances, Bakura felt that familiar rush of adrenalin that accompanied an imminent win, and he licked rainwater off his lips.

/_It's not over yet Bakura_/ Ryou cautioned. /_We still have to survive this turn_/

/_I know. I know_/

His thoughts must have shown all too well on his face, as Hana snarled at him.

"You think you've beat me?" she demanded. "Think again! I use Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen to summon Darklord Zerato!"

As Bakura drew for Card Taxation, Hana's monster descended in a whirl of dark flames. The thief blinked – Zerato looked more like a fiend than a fairy, with bulging blue muscled skin, and wicked red spiked armour that matched his demonic wings. He carried a dangerous looking serrated blade, and stood tall over the field as the Seal branded itself into his forehead, turning his eyes the same shade as his wings (2800/2300 – 3300/2300).

"Not bad..." Bakura nodded. "Not bad at all."

"I'm not finished yet!" Hana declared. "I activate Trade-In! Now I can discard a level eight monster to draw two cards."

She shoved a card ruthlessly into her graveyard and drew twice more. "Perfect! You're finished now Bakura!"

"I doubt that," Bakura deadpanned, but Ryou suddenly went rigid with terror in his mind.

/_Oh no...Zerato's effect!_/

/_What?_/ Bakura wondered now if he maybe should have paid attention during the first round.

"You should know better than to doubt your opponent!" Hana hissed. "Because I use Darklord Zerato's effect, discarding a dark monster from my hand –" she did so. "To destroy all of your monsters!"

Now it was Bakura's turn to go rigid in terror. "What?!"

It was too late – dark energy flooded into Zerato's blade, turning it into a wicked looking tongue of flame. With a single slash, he cut clean through the bodies of all three of Bakura's monsters, bisecting them cleanly. They had barely enough time to scream before they dissolved from the field.

Hissing, Bakura lowered his arm from his eyes, finding his field bare save for Spirit Shield. "It's not over!"

"Oh it is!" Hana said. "Because you see, I have this!" she waved her next card at him – it was Monster Reborn. "And with it, I can bring back my Darklord Superbia!"

The peculiar looking fairy from earlier appeared on the field, its body shaped like a black decorative pot with arms and a black round tail coming out beneath it. Its wings were magnificent brown feathers that extended to twice the height of its body, and it flexed its clawed fingers at Bakura (2900/2400 – 3400/2400).

Bakura examined both monsters, and his life point count. If he didn't have Spirit Shield, he'd be worried about the amount of damage that those two would inevitably deal. As it was, he could have just survived it...

"Don't look so relieved!" Hana called across the field. "I'm not done yet! Superbia's like a guardian angel, and his special effect means that when I revive him from the graveyard, I can also bring another fairy back! So with it, I summon Athena to the field!"

The serene looking warrior fairy dressed in white appeared with a radiant glow that was instantly tainted dark in the wake of the Seal of Orichalcos (2600/600 – 3100/600).

"And now Athena's effect activates!" Hana cried triumphantly. "I send a fairy – like Superbia – to the graveyard, and I can special summon another one in its place...so I'll bring Superbia back again, and because he was summoned back from the graveyard, another fairy comes with him! Airknight Parshath, welcome back!"

The half angel, half horse appeared once more, pointing his sword at Bakura and scowling furiously, as though it remembered how the thief had beat him earlier (1900/1400 – 2400/1400).

/_Bakura, I don't need to tell you that that attack is really going to hurt if you let it go through!_/ Ryou said anxiously.

/_Don't fret, hikari_/ Bakura assured him. /_We still have Spirit Shield, and more, should things go badly. Trust me. As Wheeler would say, we have this duel in the bag_/

As he thought this, Bakura's limbs suddenly glowed white and pain raced up his spine, leaving him panting.

"Oh sorry," Hana's voice was not the least bit apologetic. "I should have mentioned that Athena delivers six hundred points of damage every time a fairy is summoned."

**Life Points**

Bakura: 7400

Hana: 1600

"Duly noted," Bakura said dryly. Hana's smirk was cruel.

"Oh I know what you're thinking," she said. "You're thinking you can hide behind your shield like a little baby and weather this storm out? Well I'm sick of that thing, so off it goes! Heavy Storm!"

Bakura's objection to being called a baby died swiftly on his lips as the winds picked up again. Rainwater splattered his face and arms, and the last of his cards vanished off the field, including Spirit Shield and Message of Destiny. Now it was Bakura's turn to swear in his own language as his entire strategy disintegrated before his eyes.

"Say your prayers, Bakura!" Hana shouted. "Darklord Zerato, you first! Wrath of the Fallen Angel!"

Zerato's blade glowed a soft gold, completely at odds with his almost demonic appearance, and he shot across the field with a single flap of his powerful wings. The weapon slashed at Bakura's waist, sending shocks of holy energy bursting through his senses. He fell to one knee, raising his head enough to smirk again.

**Life Points**

Bakura: 4100

Hana: 1600

"Why thank you Hana – since I just took damage, I can activate the effect of Gorz, the Emissary of Darkness in my hand. Now I can summon him in defence mode, and because I took battle damage from your attack just now, I can summon an Emissary of the Darkness token, which has the same amount of points equal to the battle damage I just took."

Gorz (2700/2500) was a tall skinny man in black armour, with deadly looking blades coming out of the wrist guards. His hair was red, and spiked like a porcupine. The Emissary Token appeared next to him as a woman in grey armour of a similar design, with a red dress beneath, and a long white blade (3300/3300).

"They're just more pins for me to bowl down!" Hana sneered. "Athena, your turn! Take out Gorz with Heavenly Strike!"

It was hard to conceive of such a gentle looking fairy doing any harm, but as she turned her furious eyes on Gorz, Bakura knew that she would spare nobody. Throwing her shield back to give herself more leverage, she took off into the air, coming down heavily and firmly onto Gorz and cutting him cleanly in two. Even as she darted back to her side of the field she still looked graceful.

Bakura spat on the already damp ground. "You haven't won yet, Hana!"

"It won't be long now Bakura!" Hana assured him. "Now it's my second main phase, I play Dark Core, discarding a card to remove your token from play!"

Growling low in his throat, Bakura dismissed the token with a wave of his hand, leaving his field bare once more. Hana waved him on mockingly.

"Go on Bakura. Try and claw your way out of this trap. Then I can send my fairy's after you and knock you straight back into the grasp of the Orichalcos!"

OOO

"Gilford, attack Rich Boy directly!"

It was clear that Kaiba tried not to buckle from the attack, but as the warrior slashed at him across the chest, he stumbled and only caught his footing at the last second. Across the field, Joey could see his face, twisted with fury at the loss of his favourite monster.

**Life Points:**

Joey: 1700

Kaiba: 1100

"You'll pay for that Wheeler!" the CEO hissed. With the rain banging on the marquee like a chorus of drums, Joey had to strain to hear his insults, and rather than respond in kind, he just let himself crow victoriously, knowing that would infuriate his opponent even more.

"It's alright Kaiba, I think I've embarrassed you enough this turn. Your move." Not that he could do anything else – his last card in his hand was Dark Dragon Ritual. He'd used all his other resources getting Gilford out on the field.

Snarling like his Blue Eyes, Kaiba drew. Immediately his face turned malicious.

"This duel was boring for me the moment it began – so its time I put you in your place Underdog, and move on to the real fight!"

"Say what?" Joey demanded.

"You heard me!" Kaiba snapped. "I wouldn't normally waste my most powerful monster on a second rate hack like you, but you're standing in my way! I play Monster Reborn! Return to me, Blue Eyes White Dragon!"

With a joyful roar, the dragon was back, prompting cheers of joy from Kaiba's fans. Instantly she was enveloped by a while light, and the swirling vortex of Polymerization appeared.

"Aww you're kidding me!" Joey cried.

"I don't need to do jokes Wheeler," Kaiba snarked, as Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon appeared, her tail wrapping around behind her master, and all three of her heads snarling at Joey. "You're the biggest joke on this field!"

Joey glared at the insult, but inside, he gave a resigned sigh. He had done his best this time. There was nothing to regret. He would get better before the next championships, and the next time, he would beat Kaiba. He had no doubts about that.

"Now take this as a hint, Wheeler," Kaiba finished his posturing with a sweep of his arm. "I don't suffer losers gladly! Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon, wipe out Gilford with Neutron Blast Attack!"

Joey was determined to hold his ground, head bowed in acceptance. Unfortunately, not even he could stand the force of Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon, and he found himself flung backwards onto his backside. Pain shot up his arms where he had braced himself, but he did not let it show, determined to have his last second in the tournament with some dignity.

**Life Points:**

Joey: 0

Kaiba: 1100

"AND THE WINNER IS, SETO KAIBA!"

The announcer was barely heard over the screaming and stamping crowd. Joey got to his feet and brushed himself off. Kaiba was already sweeping impatiently off the field, his mind already off this match, and focused on the only one that really mattered to him – his match with Yugi.

"_Yugi,"_ Joey thought, and resisted the urge to run for the tunnel. He had to stay calm, despite the oppressive pulse of the Orichalcos that filled the stadium. He knew from the way that the magic was behaving that someone had found it. He only hoped that they were winning.

As soon as he had been swallowed up by the dark tunnel, Joey ran, knowing that this was going to be a million times tougher than Kaiba had been.

OOO

"Well now," Hermione was smirking in a way that Harry had never seen before – like a cat who had got the cream. "I believe that's five galleons you owe me Ron."

Harry rolled his eyes, and tried to twist the stiffness out of his neck. He hadn't torn his eyes away from the match for a single second, for it had been painfully close until the very end. There had been plenty of nail biting moments, most centring on Joey's apparently strong streak of luck, but in the end, Kaiba had edged him out. Harry had to admit, while Joey vs Yugi would have been good, it was no doubt a match between Kaiba and Yugi that everyone was really here to see.

Turning his head to the left, and wincing as his muscles protested, he froze again as his eyes found Ron, not hunched over in anticipation as he had thought, but doubled over with an alarming shade of green colouring his face.

"Ron, are you okay?" Harry asked, reaching to squeeze his friend's shoulder. Ron's whole body snapped to attention, his eyes wide.

"I think something bad has happened," he said. "Something really really bad is happening right now."

Harry felt a shiver that had nothing to do with the rain outside. "Okay...what kind of something?"

"I don't know," Ron shook his head. "But I think we should go find the others and make sure they're okay." He was on his feet instantly. Harry had no idea what was going through his friend's head, but he had never seen Ron freaked out in this way before, and he knew it wasn't just a dodgy breakfast making him green. Whatever this 'feeling' of his was, it was serious.

"As if we needed more things going wrong..." Hermione said, but she got up and bagged her match schedule regardless. "Come on. We've got forty five minutes before the finals. Let's hope whatever this is, more people aren't already involved."

OOO

/_Time to go for broke, hikari_/ Bakura thought.

/_Okay Bakura. I trust you_/

In spite of the dangerous situation, Bakura smiled as he drew.

"I play Turnabout Treasure. As it's the only card in my possession at the moment, I can draw cards equal to the number that you control. And I count four." He added, pretending to count each of her monsters. She rolled her eyes as he drew again.

/_Success!_/ Bakura cheered. /_I'm a genius!_/

"Don't count me among Voldemort's soul collection yet, Hana," he said. "I banish my Necro Puppeteer and two of my Mannequins to summon Dark Necrofear!"

Black flames licked at Bakura's side of the field and the blue skinned fiend appeared, cradling her doll in her arms. She gazed blankly at the fairies that opposed her, before crouching in defence mode (2200/2800).

"Now I activate Graceful Charity," Bakura continued, swiping three more cards from his deck.

/_Just what we need!_/ Ryou said excitedly.

/_Told you I was good_/ Bakura said, discarding Spirit Message – H and The Gross Ghost of Fled Dreams to his graveyard.

"I play my Envoy of Death spell card! I banish all my Spirit Messages along with Destiny Board from my graveyard, to summon a monster so terrible even fate trembles before it!"

The five words spelling death appeared above Bakura's head, swirling into a black vortex and vanishing into the abyss. From within something growled, and a pair of bony claws pulled their way over the edge of the portal. Mottled skin and ragged hair followed, yellowish fangs bared, with a pair of demonic red eyes that glared across the field, before it curled up to sleep in defence mode(0/0).

"Meet Death Reaper Dragon – Necrosythe!" Bakura announced. His dragon ruined the attempt at drama by snoring loudly.

"Doesn't look that great," Hana said, folding her arms and eyeing it warily in spite of her words. "What does it do? It must do something to justify you getting so excited."

"You'll find out soon enough," Bakura said. "But for now, I'll set a card facedown and call it a turn."

Not taking her eyes off the slumbering dragon for a second, Hana drew. She immediately dropped the card into the discard slot.

"I use Zerato's effect again – I don't know what that dragon does, but it won't be doing it for long! Destroy his monsters Zerato!"

The fairy obliged, and Bakura bit back a curse. He had been banking on her not drawing a monster, and he sent a silent apology to Dark Necrofear as she was chopped swiftly through the middle by the fiery blade. To Zerato and Hana's astonishment however, the blade stuck in the scaly hide of Necrosythe, who merely opened one red eye to look at the fairy condescendingly before going back to sleep.

Hana snarled. "Let me guess? Can't be destroyed by card effect?"

"Specifically cards that don't target," Bakura corrected. "I'm afraid you've failed this time."

Hana threw back her head and laughed. "Whatever, _dom gat_!It's still got zero defence points, so its effectively useless at protecting your life points! I use Athena's effect, sending Superbia to the graveyard, and bringing it back once more!"

The creepy looking fairy vanished before reappearing again almost instantly.

"And coming with him this time – its Gellenduo!" Hana announced, as the two tiny fairies reappeared, circling around each other and snapping viciously at Bakura (1700/0 – 2200/0).

"Oh joy..." Bakura deadpanned, cursing as Athena's effect kicked in and dealt him more damage.

**Life Points**

Bakura: 3500

Hana: 1600

"Your dragon might be able to sleep through card effects, but I doubt it can sleep through this!" Hana shouted. "Darklord Zerato, attack Necrosythe!"

The muscled fallen angel darted across the field, sword raised before leaping high into the air. The blade came down hard on Necrosythe's neck, and hit the hide with a resounding clang. The sword spun away across the field, and the dragon opened a lazy eye, and snorted gently at the angel. Zerato went tumbling comically onto his backside.

Hana was enraged. "Oh you have _got _to be kidding?!"

Bakura was cackling. "I'm afraid not! You have just signed your own death! Did you really think something with zero attack and defence points that took so much energy to summon would be destroyed so easily? Necrosythe cannot be destroyed in battle or by card effect! And when it's attacked it does something very special!"

Underneath Zerato's feet, the same black vortex appeared, sucking the scrabbling fairy in.

"What did you just do?!" Hana roared.

"Necrosythe destroys the attacking monster, and allows me to do something else!" Bakura said. "Now every time it is attacked, I can move one Destiny Board or Spirit Message from my banished pile to my graveyard. If they're all moved back to the graveyard this way, I get an instant win!"

Hana snorted. "Oh please! Like I'm going to attack you now, knowing that! You should have kept your mouth shut!"

Bakura had a truly wicked smirk on his face. "Oh I don't think that's going to be a problem," he said, pressing another button on his duel disk. "For I activate Parallel Worlds, banishing Dark Arena from my deck to give Parallel Worlds the same effect! And that effect is-"

Hana's eyes widened in fear. "Oh no!"

"Oh yes!" Bakura cheered. "Every monster on your field is forced to attack me!"

Gellenduo was first, leaping up to Necrosythe with both sets of teeth open and snarling. Once more, they bounced off the dragon and landed with a plop on the ground, before sinking into the black vortex. Ariknight Parshath followed suit, landing sprawling some feet away and vanishing into the depths. Bakura winced as damage radiated through his body, until he remembered that Parshath had just dealt him piercing damage through defence. Hana yanked a card out of her deck, just staring at it blankly, while Bakura moved Spirit Message E and A to his graveyard, where they joined D above his head.

**Life Points**

Bakura: 1100

Hana: 1600

"Three down!" Bakura was all but trembling with excitement as Athena launched into the charge, her own sword clanging off the dragon's hide and clattering to the floor as she tumbled down the vortex into darkness. The letter T appeared hovering over Bakura's head.

"This is the end!" Bakura roared, as Superbia began to swirl with shadows.

And suddenly Hana looked up from her hand and smirked.

"Overconfidence is so unbecoming of a thief...you just sealed your own fate!"

She shoved the one remaining card in her hand – the one she had just drawn from Parshath's effect – and shrieked with triumphant laughter.

Bakura's whole body went slack. The card was Enemy Controller. It took the full meaning a few seconds to sink in, but when it did his entire body seemed to burst into life.

"NO!"

He was too late, as the lumbering Necrosythe rolled itself onto its feet and into attack mode, just as Superbia sent a slash of dark energy scything its way down its body. The great dragon roared in pain as its tough hide finally split open into two, and with a final snarling cry, it burst into nothingness.

**Life Points**

Bakura: 0

Hana: 1600

OOO

Deep in the tunnels of the stadium, Joey stumbled to a halt, his face green.

"Joey," Yugi was in a similar state. He could feel his stomach rolling like an out of control Ferris wheel. He did not need to ask if his friend had felt that. They both knew what it meant. The battle was over. And Bakura – their only friend who had been unaccounted for after Joey's match – had been in the middle of it.

"He'll be fine," Joey said, his voice dry and shaky. "He'll be fine..."

But Yugi had a horrible gripping sensation in his chest, and he just knew that it wasn't fine at all.

OOO

The Seal was closing in slowly, its victim decided, its next feast at hand.

Bakura barely noticed it.

He had failed.

Failed to hinder Voldemort's plans...

Failed to beat the Seal...

Failed to save Akila, Amane and all those other souls...

Failed to save himself.

The Seal was shrinking but he was only dimly aware of it. He saw Hana's smirking face growing further and further away, before vanishing beyond the veil of green magic.

Instinct told him to move, to save himself before it was too late. But he knew that there was nothing. No way of escaping, and nothing that could be done to save him now. He had lost, and the Orichalcos was no more merciful than the Shadows. He had played Russian Roulette with his soul one too many times, and it had finally caught up with him.

/_Bakura!_/

His light sounded anguished and he snapped partially out of his numb trance.

/_Ryou...I'm so sorry._/

He felt his hikari's spiritual presence behind him, but he did not turn around to look.

/_I'm sorry too_/

Disbelief flooded his system, and he opened his eyes and faced the incoming Seal bitterly. Why was Ryou blaming himself for this? He had been the duellist. He had been in the drivers seat. And now he was the one who had crashed. /_For what?_/

A soft hand rested gently on his shoulder, silently begging for forgiveness.

/_For this_/

The hand squeezed and pulled, whirling Bakura around on his heel and driving his cheek straight into the oncoming fist. Pain exploded through the thief's head, and he slumped to the ground in a daze as the magic finally encircled him in its sinister grip.

OOO

Mai did not feel the burning in her legs any longer, or the sting of air being pulled and pushed quickly out of her lungs. She had tuned out the sounds of Rebecca's whining and Duke suggesting that they check down each corridor. She pushed herself up the next flight of steps, feeling only the chill on her skin, and the sickness that pounded away in her mouth and ears. The Orichalcos was nearby. And it was feasting. They were already too late. Somebody had lost their soul. The only question was who.

"Hold on Mai! We need a breather!" Hermione yelled. The witch was doubled over the railings on the staircase, and Mai wondered for a moment if they bothered to teach physical education at Hogwarts.

"It's this way!" she called. "I can feel it! One more flight of steps!"

"How can you feel it?" Hermione panted, as they took the next flight.

"Probably because she used it," Rebecca was faring very badly, having to keep up with everyone on her shorter legs. "I can sorta feel it too. I wore one of the stones for a while around my neck, so maybe that's why we're extra sensitive to it."

As she turned up the next flight, Mai caught sight of the horrified look on Hermione's face, and she felt instantly guilty. Clearly nobody had ever told the witch that she had used the Seal herself. Mai could not help but feel a little irritated at Rebecca for bringing it up. But now was not the time for an argument. They were almost there.

"_Not Bakura," _she swore to herself as she flung her weight against the roof door. "_Please for everyone's sake, don't let it be Bakura..."_ she did not know Ryou or Bakura particularly well, but she could only imagine just how upset Joey and Yugi and everyone else would be if he had lost. And then she realised she did not have to imagine. They were her friends too.

The rain thundered down from the heavens, as the Seal gave one last greedy glow before fading away into the storm. At the bottom of it, lay the white haired male.

Mai's heart sank.

"_Oh no..."_

"Ryou!" it was Hermione who had screamed, but Mai's eyes were already drifting over the other side of the roof, where she knew she would find the one who had done this. Sure enough, Hana's head had snapped up at the unexpected interruption. She seemed to be unarmed, and Mai recognised the look of pure cruelness masking a blank slate – she was brainwashed in the same way the others had been. She had paused in the middle of shuffling her deck, the satisfied face of victory worn with pride.

Mai saw red, and ran for her, at the same time Hermione yelled.

"_Stupefy_!"

The jet of red light streaked past Mai and collided hard with Hana. She flew backwards into the railings, and for a horrible moment, Mai thought she might fall over. But then she slumped like a marionette with the strings cut down onto the ground. Skidding to a halt, Mai wrapped her fingers around the chain that held the Orichalcum. With a sharp jerk, she snapped it free of her neck, and with a fury over a year in the making, she stamped hard, crushing the stone into fine powder beneath her heel.

She heard everyone breathe a sigh of relief, and suddenly the rooftop did not seem quite as oppressive.

"Is he...?" Rebecca sounded shaken as Duke rolled their friend over. He looked peaceful to Mai, and she wondered if that was what she looked like after she had lost her soul.

"I don't know Becks. But I think he did – why else would she still have been standing?"

"But...are they both gone?" Rebecca asked. "Or is one of them still there? You know? Like with Yugi and the Pharaoh?"

Mai drew a sharp breath as she realised that Rebecca was right – even if Bakura had lost the duel, the Seal of Orichalcos only had room for one soul at a time. One of them was still in there. She hurried to Duke's side and began checking the unconscious body over. Thoughts of first aid training helped stabilise her thoughts.

"What about Hana? What did you do to her Hermione?" Rebecca, now turned to face the door just in case someone tried to ambush them, took her eyes off it for a moment to glance at their new friend. Hermione looked sheepish.

"Stunning spell. I'm not really supposed to do it to muggles, but desperate times..." distractedly she pulled Hana's eyelids back. "Yeah, she's out cold. I think I'd better wipe her memory..."

"Are you sure?" Duke looked up. "She might know something."

"Ron and Mokuba didn't," Hermione reminded him. "And neither did any of the others. The Death Eaters have gone out of their way to make sure whoever did this can't be traced. No. I think I'd better do it now. Ron and Mokuba may not have remembered anything, but I don't want to take the risk especially with someone who doesn't know anything about magic. She'll be horrified with herself if she remembers any of it."

None of them disputed that – Mai felt her own shame creep up from the corners of her mind, and she hastily squashed it back.

"Can you carry him?" she asked Duke. "I'd like to get him back to the box as soon as possible. If we're found up here I don't know how we'd explain this."

Carefully, Duke lifted their unconscious friend over his shoulder. Hermione was muttering and prodding Hana with her wand, doing things that Mai could only hazard a guess at. Finally she seemed to be done, and she helped Mai lift her gently off the floor. As they meandered carefully through the door, Rebecca hung up her phone.

"The others will meet us back at the box," she reported.

"Hang on guys," Hermione muttered. "We'll get you safe, and then we'll find out who did this and put it right."

But as they walked in their odd formation, with Hana's weight pressing down on her shoulders, Mai had a horrible feeling that it was not going to be that easy at all.

OOO

Yugi was numb as they draped Ryou's body on the sofa, and began arranging him into the most comfortable position. He looked tiny and fragile as Duke unclipped his duel disk and placed it on the floor beside him. Everyone in the box just stared at him. Joey was swearing up and down about finding whoever had done this and pounding them into next week, a sentiment which most of the box seemed to share. Serenity was saying something about trying to locate Ryou's dad to tell him that he had been hurt, but Yugi was not listening to anything. Seeing the Millennium Ring glint from around his friend's neck, he buried his face in his hands, unable to look anymore.

/_Was that what it was like last time?_/ he whispered across the mind link. Yami had not said a thing, but Yugi could feel the horror emanating from his dark. They were both in shock. There was always someone at stake – someone close to them. Joey. Tea. Tristan. Mai. But never had either of them thought that this time it would be Ryou and Bakura. They were untouchable in a way that made their loss only more terrifying. They were Millennium Item bearers. They were the game masters of the Shadow Realm...so how could they possibly have lost?

/_A thousand times more painful for me_/ Yami replied in a sombre tone. /_But yes_/

As he gripped his hair, Yugi heard new footsteps arrive. Harry and Ron, who had been scouring the outside of the stadium, were the last ones to return, with Mai right behind them. Exhausted from all the running around, Mai flopped into a chair, and Ron immediately began echoing Joey's curses from not a moment ago.

"Where's Hermione?" he asked, seeing that she was missing and immediately launching into a panic.

"Talking to Hana," Duke assured him. "She and Rebecca are just filling in her memory. Making sure the spells work and stuff. Ali's with them – she freaked out when she saw Hana was unconscious, but I think they told her she fainted or something..."

Yugi wanted to be worried about Hana, and relieved that she was okay after being brainwashed, but his mind was too full of Ryou laying there on the sofa.

"What happened?" Harry asked, looking around the room, clearly wondering who he should be asking.

Yugi shut his mind down as Mai and Duke launched into an explanation of how they had found him. He did not want to listen again. His mind's eye was being filled with images of his friend screaming and a sickening green light pulsing greedily as it stripped away each of his friends one by one.

Sensing his partner's mental anguish, Yami gave him a mental nudge.

/_Aibou. We can't fall into despair_/

/_I know_/ Yugi replied, but his response was automatic, as he entertained just how easy it would be to do it. To just break down and let his grief smother him. How did they always manage to keep going after stuff like this? If he had ever known, it seemed to escape him now.

"Malik's gonna hit the roof when he hears about this," Harry was saying, not tearing his eyes off Ryou. "When does he land?"

"Two hours. He won't be home before four o clock the earliest," Yugi reported in a dead voice. He sensed everyone looking at him, and felt a soft hand on his shoulder. Tea, he realised. He'd know her touch anywhere. It stabilised him, and seemed to draw him out of the dark part of his mind that just wanted to give in. He placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed back.

"But wait," Ron was looking between Ryou's inert form, and Yugi, and Yugi could just guess what he was going to say. "If they lost and the Orichalcos took a soul – like with you and the Pharaoh – does that mean one of them is still in there?"

Hermione, who had returned not thirty seconds ago, gave a hollow choking sound. "'_Still in there'_? Honestly Ron, Ryou's body isn't a gift box!"

"You know what I mean!" Ron admonished, his ears going pink.

"Yeah, one of them is still in there," Joey said, putting poor Ron out of his misery.

"Okay...so when will he wake up?"

Joey shrugged. "Don't know. I mean..." he glanced nervously at Yugi, who just nodded softly. There was no sense in pretending that they had not been in this situation before. "The Pharaoh woke up in about five minutes. But it's been fifteen already, and Ryou doesn't look like he's stirring at all. Who knows when he'll be up."

A hush fell over the box, most people choosing to look at their feet. Mai got up abruptly and left the box. Looking worried, Joey followed after her. Yugi felt a squeeze at his waist, and saw Tea leaning her head on his shoulder. His jacket was dampening slowly.

/_Did she cry last time?_/ he asked, feeling a surge of wretchedness course through him. Yami gave a mental shake of his head.

/_No. She was strong and she never stopped believing that we would get you back._/

Yugi glanced out of the corner of his eye, finding nothing but soft brown hair pressed against his neck. He slipped his hand into hers and squeezed.

"_She must have doubted sometimes though,_" he said it to himself, but he knew Yami would hear regardless. "_Why else would she have cried in relief when I came back?_"

There was a soft cough, which caused everyone to jump. Pegasus's henchman Croquet stood in the doorway, with his hands folded neatly behind his back.

"Mr Mutou, your presence is required downstairs in preparation for the finals."

Yugi felt everyone's gaze fall on him, and his own eyes fell on Ryou's prone body once more. He felt the head lift from his shoulder and he knew Tea was worrying about him from the way she gripped his hand tightly.

"Can you give him five minutes?" Tristan's tone was more than a tad irritated. "One of our friends has just been hurt!" he pointed at Ryou for emphasis.

"No."

Yugi was as surprised as everyone at how strong his voice came out. He felt Yami stirring in the back of his head, mentally pulling himself together in preparation.

"Yugi," Tea's voice was full of worry, but he squeezed her hand. He knew what he was doing.

"Tell Pegasus I'll be there in a minute," he said, getting to his feet and picking up his duel disk from underneath his seat. Croquet nodded and marched off down the corridor.

"Yugi are you sure about this?" Harry asked.

"Yeah man, I'm sure they'd get it if you wanted to postpone," Tristan added gently, but Yugi shook his head.

"Thanks guys, but I don't want to postpone. I've made up my mind." He clipped the disk to his arm, and gripped the Puzzle in one hand. "I'm going to go out there – _we _are going to go out there. And we're going to win. We're going to win this for everyone. And then after we win, we're going to hunt down Voldemort, and we're going to get our friends back."

He turned to face the stadium out of the thick tinted windows. The stands were still only half full, with half an hour of lunch still left. "The Death Eaters are out there, and they're watching us. We're going to show them that we're not beaten. We've only just started to fight."

Facing Tea and Tristan he gave them what little smile he could manage. He trusted them above everyone else, and he knew they would understand. "Look after him when he wakes up. It's going to be hard."

Tristan nodded, and sat down on the arm of the sofa next to Ryou's feet. The worry slowly eased out of Tea's face and she smiled.

"We've got it Yugi."

"Yeah, just knock Kaiba down a peg or two so we can put everything right," Tristan agreed.

Feeling a little better, Yugi saw Ron and Hermione exchange incredulous looks. Harry was watching him with an unreadable expression. Yugi's confidence shook a little.

"It's not that I don't care about him-" he began, but Harry held up a hand.

"We know," he nodded. "You're right. Bakura would probably be really pissed if you forfeited a championship because of him."

"So would Kaiba," Rebecca put in, and a few people managed chuckles at that.

"Go Yugi," Tea gave his shoulder a squeeze. "We'll be here when you get back."

Her touch warmed him and his confidence was instantly restored. Gazing out at the stadium one last time, Yugi turned and headed for the door, for another battle, and another promise that was becoming hauntingly familiar.

"_Wait for me Bakura..."_

OOO


	11. Chapter 11: Title Match

**A/N: **(squeezes into a confession booth with 7th Librarian) Bless us father of fanfiction, for we have sinned. It's been...two months since my last update, and 7th Librarian and I ask forgiveness for our tardiness.

Bakura: (opens the window, dressed in priest's clothes) It's your readers who need to hear that, not me! Ask their forgiveness.

Mei: I think they get the point now. We're really sorry guys! I had SunnyCon (which was awesome!), and then I had France, and then Camp Nano started, and then my illness flared up, so I've been having a LOT of tests, and then 7th Librarian had finals, then he got on a plane to my side of the pond, then we were in London and then I had the Race for Life...and yeah. It's been a busy couple of months, and updating has been the least of our priorities.

I haven't been too idle though – I've started a series of posts on my blog .com where I'll be exploring my OCs for this story (and possibly some of my other stories) in more detail. Koji has already gone up, so go check it out.

**Dedication: **To Sarah Groves. Hearing about your murder was the saddest thing I've heard this year. You were wonderful to work with and we all miss you so much. God bless you sweetheart.

* * *

**Chapter 11: Title Match**

"LET THE MATCH BEGIN!"

There was a roar as the audience did their best to drown out the duellists below, as they stared each other down and shouted "Duel!"

"_Just this match,"_ Yami recited in his head. "_Just this match, and then we can focus on Voldemort and everything else..._" He tried not to think about the prone body currently spread out on the sofa in the VIP lounge. Bakura would never forgive him if he lost (after all, he was the only one who was allowed to beat him). He could not afford to be distracted. Instead he pushed everything but the game and strategy to the back of his head, and watched as Kaiba drew his opening hand.

"This is it, Yugi! I'm going to show you once and for who is the superior duellist!"

There was a hunger to Kaiba's face, and Yami knew just how much this meant to his rival. In spite of his apparent focus on his company, and lack of serious competition since Battle City, Kaiba had always been waiting for this – for a chance to have a rematch with the one person who could beat him. No matter what period of history they were in, or how long the time apart, it always came down to this – Yugi and Yami against Seto Kaiba.

"We'll see, Kaiba." Yami snapped up the five cards of his hand off his deck with a mild smirk. "You've been saying that since our first duel!"

"Hmmph." The CEO didn't really acknowledge the statement, instead drawing a sixth card to indicate he was going first. A quick glance at his hand prompted a predatory smile. "Looks like I've got just the thing to show you who's superior, Yugi!"

He slammed a card into his disk, the continuous spell card shimmering into existence in front of him. "I activate Spell Sanctuary! Now not only do we both get to move a spell card from our decks to our hands, but as long as this card is in play all spell cards can be activated as if they were quick-play cards!"

"_That's the card he started our duel in Battle City with..." _Yami pulled his deck free of his disk, fanning it open before grabbing the sepll card he wanted while Kaiba did the same across the field. _"Last time, he was trying to set up the field for Obelisk...so what he's up to this time?"_

"Next, I'll activate another continuous spell card – Future Fusion!" The card faded into existence alongside his Spell Sanctuary. "Now I can send fusion material monsters from my deck to my graveyard and in two turns, their fusion will be summoned!"

"Trying for you Ultimate Dragon already, Kaiba? I thought..." Then the ancient ruler's eyes widened as he saw Kaiba hold up a fan of cards. Five cards and though he didn't recognize the monsters, Yugi could see that they were all dragon-types. "Five dragons!?"

"That's right, Yugi!" Slipping the cards into his graveyard, Kaiba's smile was razor-sharp. "And it gets worse for you, because those five monsters all have effects that go off when they're sent to the graveyard!"

A pair of cards slid out of his deck and he picked them up, slipping them into an interior coat pocket. "Two of those monsters were Eclipse Dragons and when that monster is sent to the graveyard, I remove two level seven or higher dragons from play from my deck."

Then three cards slid out of his deck and he held them out in a fan in front of him, the cards familiar to anyone who had the slightest knowledge of Duel Monsters. "And the other three monsters were White Stones of Legend and when they go to the graveyard, I can add a Blue-Eyes White Dragon to my hand!"

"All three Blue-Eyes!?" Yami took a step back, a tiny bit of dread building up within him.

"But why stop there?" The CEO held up another magic card. "Dragon's Mirror let's me remove the five monsters I just discarded with Future Fusion to summon my new monster right now!"

All five monsters fell out of his discard slot and he pocketed them, chuckling as a five-tone roar filled the stadium. As everyone watched, a giant swirling vortex of violet and black erupted open behind Kaiba. The roar sounded again and then five dragon heads tore their way free of the inky darkness. A moment later, claws and wings did as well, revealing that all five heads were atop the same golden body. The entire monster was nearly half as tall as the stadium it occupied.

"If I recall, you've met the Five God Dragon before. I hope you're happy to see him again, Yugi, because he's been dying to see you again!"

As in if response to its masters' words, the titanic dragon roared directly at the Pharaoh, causing his clothing to billow. (5000/5000)

The King of Games staggered against the beast's onslaught, but righted himself determinedly. "I've faced greater monsters than that thing before and I'll defeat your Five God Dragon like I beat them!"

"I don't doubt you, Yugi." Kaiba merely chuckled as he reached into the pocket he had stuck his banished cards in. "But this is a foolproof strategy. You see, when my Eclipse Dragons are banished from the graveyard, they let me add the monsters they removed to my hand."

"And now that is done, I think I'll activate the card I got from Spell Sanctuary. It's called Trade-In and I can discard a level eight monster to draw two cards." Slipping one of the two monsters he had gotten from his Eclipse Dragons into the graveyard, he drew two more cards and smirked at what he saw. "Yugi, you may be able to defeat one of my mighty dragons, but can you hope to stand against two of them?"

"Two of them...Oh no...!" Yami stared as Kaiba flipped around four cards in his hand, the three Blue-Eyes White Dragons and Polymerization "You don't mean to summon that dragon!"

"Indeed I do, Yugi!" A pillar of blue light shot skywards behind the CEO and then the three heads of his Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon tore free of it. (4500/3800) But the audience's surprise, the dragon heads simply began to crack and crumble, even more light spilling forth from them. Then the giant fusion shattered apart in a blinding blaze that forced everyone to shield their eyes.

Yami was the first to lower his arms and he let out a growl of frustration at what he saw floating alongside the Five God Dragon. Almost as massive, it resembled the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, but had a sleeker, more technological look with blue-veins of energy radiating from an orb on its chest and its cry was nearly musical. "The Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon!"

"That's right, Yugi! A monster that rivals your Egyptian Gods in power!" The CEO pointed up at his new beast. "And it gains three hundred attack points times the number of dragons in my graveyard and I currently have five!" The Shining Dragon's orb and veins began to glow brighter as power flowed into it. (3000/2500 – 4500/2500)

He laughed as his two dragons roared in unison. "This is how much stronger I've become since our last duel, Yugi and it's for this reason that I will remind the world today that I am the World Champion of Duel Monsters and the true King of Games!"

He clenched his fist triumphantly. "And without your God Cards, there's no way you can hope to beat my two dragons." A pair of cards flashed into existence face-down behind his dragons, nearly invisible due to their size. "So take your one and only turn this duel so I can take back my title as I rightfully deserve!"

The King of Games placed his hand atop his deck, a defiant look on his face. "You of all people should know that power doesn't determine everything, Kaiba! And I can tear down those dragons just as easily as you built them up!"

"Then give it your best shot, Yugi!"

"My move!" Yami snapped the card free, glancing at it and then two massive dragons opposite before adding to his hand. "I discard a card from my hand to special summon The Tricky in attack mode!" In a flash of light, a humanoid figure reminiscent of a clothing store mannequin appeared, a question mark where its face-should be (2000/1700). "And then I'll play Five-Star Twilight, offering the Tricky as a sacrifice!"

The monster broke apart into five different coloured stars of pink, white, brown, blue and green that flew around the field before settling in front of Yami and revealing themselves to be five colourful Kuribohs that chirped and danced. "Meet the five Kuriboh Brothers!" (300/200 x5)

A dead silence hung over the stadium, then built into a low murmuring as the audience began to wonder what if the King of Games had his crown on too tight. Kaiba, for his part, merely looked shocked and then growled, pointing a finger across the field. "What's the meaning of this, Yugi!? Do you not take our battle seriously!? Or has the fear of my dragons gotten to you so bad that you've just lost your mind!?" As if to emphasis his point, the Kuriboh Brothers caught sight of the two dragons and squeaked in fear, running over each other in a mad scramble to hide behind one another.

"I'm taking our battle very seriously, Kaiba. And that's why I've chosen my Kuriboh brothers to stand against your dragons!" Yami smiled. "I have faith that my monsters will stand against yours!"

Kaiba managed an incoherent growl before he snapped out an arm. "Then I'll trample that faith of yours to smithereens!"

"You're welcome to try, Kaiba!" Yami slid a series of cards into his disk and they flashed into existence behind his Kuribohs. "I set three cards face-down and end my turn!"

"Draw!" The CEO practically tore the card free and didn't even look at it as he pointed up at one of his set cards. "Don't think you can hide behind those puffballs and protect your life points, Yugi! I activate the continuous trap card Dragon's Rage, meaning all of my dragons can deal you damage even if your monsters are in defence mode! Five God Dragon, attack and destroy the original Kuriboh! _Annihilation Five!"_

All five heads breathed forth streams of their respective element that merged into a single blazing inferno of power, tearing across the field with the promise of total annihilation. But Yami just smirked. "Kuribi, activate Star Defence!"

"Star Defence!?" Kaiba watched as the other four Kuribohs crowded beyond the pink one, who thrust out its tiny arms and a golden star twice the monster's size appeared in front of it. The Annihilation Five attack slammed into it the star and despite the attacks size and laws of physics, the star held against the onslaught. The star shattered in the process, sending the five brothers bouncing around the arena, scorched and dazed, but unharmed. "Those puny little rags...dare withstand the might of my dragons!?"

"That's right, Kaiba." Yami chuckled as his monsters rearranged themselves on his field properly. "And my Kuribi's Star Defence will block each and every one of your attacks, no matter how powerful your monsters are!" He smirked slightly. "What was that about me having only one turn in this duel?"

The audience roared their approval even as Kaiba growled. "You won't be able to hide forever, Yugi! Eventually, I'll draw a card that will destroy your pathetic little powerpuffs! I end my turn since attacking with my Shining Dragon would be useless..."

Yami drew for his turn, eyes wandering over his hand cards. "_I hate to say it, but Kaiba is right...all he has to do is destroy Kuribi and my monsters are defenceless...and thanks to his Dragon's Rage trap, even putting them in defence mode won't keep my life points safe!"_

His eyes shifted to the Future Fusion card in front of his rival. (_On top of that, during his next Standby Phase, Kaiba's Future Fusion will let him summon out Five God Dragon and I wouldn't put it past him to have two...) _Something in his hand caught his eye and he nodded to himself. (_I know how I can beat those dragons, but I have to prepare for long-term, too...knowing Kaiba, those two dragons barely scratch the surface of his strategy!)_

"Alright, Kaiba! Here I come!" The Pharaoh pointed at his field. "By banishing my Kuriboh Brothers, I can summon my Kuribabylon!" The five monsters grouped together and then vanished in a cloud of smoke. What emerged was a super-sized teal Kuriboh with a horn and fangs. (1500/1000)

"So now you have enough of a puffball I can wax my car with it. That kiddie monster can't hope to match the power of my dragons, Yugi!" Kaiba sneered.

"He doesn't have to, Kaiba, because I'm activating Magical Dimension!" A golden sarcophagus suspended by chains appeared around Kuribablyon. "Now I sacrifice one monster on my field to bring out a Spellcaster-type -monster from my hand!" The sarcophagus creaked up and out spun the King of Game's second-most famous monster, staff in hand and when she blew a kiss to the crowd, they went wild. "Dark Magician Girl!" (2000/1700)

"And since I successfully summoned her, Magical Dimension now destroys your Five God Dragon!" Yami pointed at the titanic fusion and it began to crack and crumble, several of its heads toppling off of the body.

Kaiba shielded himself as pieces of his monsters rained down around him before the entire thing exploded into digital shards. "I still have my Shining Dragon, whom you've only made stronger!" (3000/2500 – 4800/2500)

"But not for long." Yami smirked and pointed at one of his set cards, which flipped up. "Sage's Stone activates when I have Dark Magician Girl in play! Dark Magician is summoned!" A bolt of violet light leapt from his deck and struck his field, forming into his most famous monster. The crowd roared as the magician twirled his staff and readied himself for battle. (2500/2100) "Now then, attack his Shining Dragon! Dark Magic Attack!"

The magician twirled his staff and leapt into the air. Magic began to be pulled into his weapon as he drew level with the dragon's head. "And I'll reveal the magic card Pump Up, doubling my Dark Magician's attack points for this round!" Dark Magician twirled his weapon as his body glowed with energy and snapped it forwards, energy streaming towards Kaiba's monster. (2500/2100 – 5000/2100)

"You can't defeat my dragon that easily, Yugi! Reveal trap card- Tyrant Wing!" The Shining Dragon let out another roar and its wings began to glow brightly, doubling in size. "This trap card increases my dragon's attack power by four hundred, meaning it's stronger than your Dark Magician!" The Dragon didn't react as the Dark Magician's attack splashed against it harmlessly and it opened its maw, charging up a dangerous looking energy blast. (3000/2500 – 5200/2500)

"I've still got one face-down card, Kaiba! Go Gift of the Martyr! Now my Dark Magician Girl's attack points are added to my Dark Magician's!" (2500/2100 – 7000/2100)The female spellcaster shot up to join her master, the two of them crossing staves. The two attacks collided violently, exploding brightly and throwing the two magicians back onto the ground, where they shattered into pixels.

Kaiba watched in amazement as the smoking Shining Dragon fell out of the cloud. Great chunks of it where missing form it's wings and torso and it was leaking energy. With a final cry, it crashed into the ground behind its master and then exploded like its opponents had. "It cost me my magicians...but their sacrifice has toppled your dragon!"

**Life Points**

Kaiba: 6200

Yami: 8000

The crowd roared as Yami smirked and grabbed one of the remaining cards from his hand. "To complete my turn, I'll set this card face-down and end my turn."

"It's my move! And I'll use it to make you pay for destroying my Shining Dragon!" Kaiba nearly tore the card free from the slot and added it to his hand, bringing his total up to three cards. "Now that it's my Standby Phase, my second Five God Dragon comes out to play!" A pillar of light erupted behind him again and was torn apart as the massive fusion emerged. "And don't think your facedown card will save you, Yugi! I summon the monster known as Lord of Dragons in defence mode!"

A man dressed in dragon-themed armour appeared, looking miniscule as he knelt and drew his cape around himself. (1200/500) "Now my dragon is immune to be targeted by your card effects. So prepare to feel the pain! _Annihilation Five!"_

The combined attack of the five heads slammed into Yami, leaving him smoking and looking worn by the attack, but Kaiba's eyes widened as he saw the smirk on the other duellist's face. "What? Why are you so happy that I attacked you! You've lost more than half of your life points!"

**Life Points**

Kaiba: 6200

Yami: 3000

"True, Kaiba...but taking that damage was necessary, because now it allows me to activate the effect of my trap card! Shock Draw!" The card flipped up and Yami's deck began to glow. "Now that I've taken battle damage, I can draw one card for each one thousand damage I took!" He pulled five more cards from his deck in quick succession, giving him a total of six.

"Drawing cards won't save you in the end, Yugi!" Kaiba drew and immediately activated the card. "My second Trade-In. So now I discard the remaining dragon that I pulled with Eclipse Dragon and draw two cards." Swiftly doing so, he slid the last two cards of his hand face-down and watched them appear in front of him. Now without them, he had no cards to play. "_But I have Five God Dragon in play and it's protected by my traps AND Lord of Dragons. He used up so many resources to take down my other two dragons, he doesn't have any combos left to get out a monster strong enough!"_

"End turn!"

"Draw!" Yami drew and nodded to himself. "Pot of Greed lets me draw two cards!" He did so and then immediately slid one into his disk. "Then, One for One! By discarding a monster card from my hand, I can special summon a level one monster from my deck! So I summon Magical Scientist in defence position!" A skinny man in a labcoat appeared, taking in the massive fusion monster across the field calmly and even scribbling in a few notes on his clipboard. (300/300)

"And what exactly is that mad scientist movie reject going to help you to do, Yugi? Its points are barely better than Kuriboh's." Kaiba folded his arms smugly.

"He's going to help me take down your dragon. First, I use his special ability. By giving up one thousand life points, a fusion monster is summoned from my Fusion Deck!" A glass tank rose up in front of him, a shadowed form visible inside. Then the tank cracked and shattered apart, revealing a dark-armoured knight with a flame shaped sword and shield in his hands, his cape flowing as he stepped down onto the playing field. "This is my Dark Flare Knight!" (2200/1800)

**Life Points**

Kaiba: 6200

Yami: 2000

Yami smirked and pointed at the dragon across the way. "I've defeated that dragon with this card before and I'm going to do it again! Dark Flare Knight! Attack!" The monster raised its blade and a torrent of black flames leapt from the weapon. But the Five God Dragon just roared and counter-attacked, its' combined blast easily overpowering the smaller fusion's attack and causing Yami's field to erupt in flames again.

"What good does that do? Are you suicidal or-" Kaiba's widened as the flames suddenly became golden in colour and a heavily armoured figure-leaped out of them. It was a large warrior in powerful-looking golden armour and wielding a massive scythe. "Who is that?!"

"When destroyed, my Dark Flare Knight negates the damage I would have taken and special summons my Mirage Knight! And when Mirage Knight attacks a monster, that monster's attack score is added to his own! So wipe out his Five God Dragon once and for all!" The knight blurred through the air before suddenly appearing behind the titanic dragon. (2800/2000 – 7800/2000)

The fusion remained motionless and for a moment, Kaiba thought the attack had failed...until a great slash appeared on the dragon's body and it fell apart before shattering. "No!"

**Life Points**

Kaiba: 3400

Yami: 2000

He snapped out an arm and one of his set cards activated. "Even if you beat my dragons, I'll make you pay with interest, Yugi! Power Balance activates when you declare an attack and I have no cards in my hand! You have to discard half of your hand and I draw that same amount."

"Half of my cards..." Yami glanced down at his hand of six cards and then pulled three of them free, sliding them one after another into his graveyard while Kaiba drew three himself. "_At the end of my turn, Mirage Knight will banish itself and I'll be defenceless. But these cards...I can at least prepare with them."_

"I summon Skilled Dark Magician in attack mode!" A young man appeared on his field, wielding a round-topped staff and dressed in flowing robes topped with heavy shoulder pads set with three gemstones. (1900/1700)

"Then I activate Emblem of Dragon Destroyer, letting me add my Buster Blader from my hand to my deck and giving my Skilled Dark Magician a Spell Counter!" He added the named monster to his hand as his magician's gemstones began to glow bronze. And as per its effect, Mirage Knight simply rippled away into nothingness. "I set one card face-down and end my turn!"

"Draw!" Kaiba snapped the card free, his eyes narrowing. "_Yugi got rid of my dragons and is probably intending to use that dragon-slayer in conjunction with his Dark Magician to summon Dark Paladin and take advantage of all the dragons I have in the graveyard...but he should know by now that I have more to deck than that!"_

"I activate Graceful Charity, drawing three cards and discarding two!"

Swiftly doing so, he immediately flipped around another card. "And now Junk Dealer revives the two machines I just discarded, though they are at half-stats. Y-Dragon Head and Z-Metal Tank!" The two machines appeared, rusted and sparking with exposed wires.

"This is the same move that Mokuba used from earlier..." Yami grimaced at the thought of what was coming next. "Since you played two more spell cards, my Skilled Dark Magician has three!" Indeed, the monster's gemstones had switched from bronze to gold.

"You're not going to get a chance to use them! I summon X-Head Cannon and then banish all three of my monsters to fusion summon XYZ- Dragon Cannon!" The three machines all linked together, transforming into the hovercraft bristling with firepower. (2800/2600) "And now I'll use its effect, discarding my Alphabet Soupercharger to blast your Skilled Dark Magician off the face of the earth!"

"Reveal Trap Card! Miracle Restoring lets me remove two Spell Counters from the field to summon out Dark Magician from the graveyard!" Yami braced himself as the hovercraft opened fire on his spellcaster, enveloping his field in smoke. Two golden orbs flew out of the cloud and merged together with a flash of light, resolving into the purple-clad form of his favourite monster.

"You're not going to save him! Alphabet Soupercharger lets me draw two cards since it was discarded by the effect of my fusion monster!" Drawing twice more, Kaiba instantly slid one into the graveyard. "And I'll get rid of my La Jinn to blast Dark Magician!" The machine's cannons began to whine as they powered up again.

"I've still got a set card, Kaiba! Go! Dedication Through Light and Darkness!" Dark Magician spun his staff as the fusion's attack hit him, redirecting the energy into a swirl around him. When it faded, he radically changed. Taller and with blue skin, dressed in black with belts around his arms and wielding a sinister-looking staff, he gave Kaiba mocking finger waggle. "I can sacrifice my Dark Magician to summon Dark Magician of Chaos!" (2800/2000)

A card slid out of Yami's graveyard and he picked up. "And what's more, when Dark Magician of Chaos is summoned, I can use his effect to retrieve a spell card from my graveyard." He held up Pot of Greed and then tucked it into his hand cards. "Want to discard another card to try for my magician, Kaiba?"

Kaiba would have liked very much to have just blasted Yami's magician and attacked him, but he had seen Yami escape impossible situations before and didn't want to waste what remained of his hand on a whim. "Destroy his Magical Scientist! _Hyper Destruction!"_

It was a small satisfaction to see his Dragon Cannon pulverize the small monster, but a satisfaction nonetheless. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

"And it's my move!" Yami drew and immediately held up Pot of Greed, snapping up two more cards. He smirked at what he saw with one of them and slapped it onto his disk. "Because I drew it through a card effect, I'm allowed to summon Watapon from my hand!" With a little 'coo' sound, a cute pink little puffball with big wide eyes and antenna appeared. (200/300)

"I sacrifice Watapon to summon out Chaos Command Magician!" The puffball disappeared and was replaced by a towering green-armoured spellcaster. (2400/1700) "But he's only the prelude, Kaiba! To summon the spellcaster in my hand, I must sacrifice two already powerful magicians!"

"What could be stronger than your magicians?!" His rival was incredulous.

"An archmage!" A tornado of dark energy swallowed up his two monsters and then the winds were scattered to reveal a powerful figure in front of the King of Games. He was powerfully built and wore heavy black robes and armour over his shoulders. A cape billowed behind him and he wielded a three-pronged staff with a crystal in the centre. "This is my Sorcerer of Dark Magic, the most powerful spellcaster my deck possesses!" (3200/2800)

He pointed at XYZ-Dragon Cannon. "Now, my Sorcerer! Destroy Kaiba's monster! _Celestial Sceptre Blast!" _The Sorcerer obliged, twirling his weapon as power surged through it. With a single stab, he unleashed a wide blast that hurtled across the field.

Kaiba growled as the attack shredded his fusion monster into so many nuts and bolts. "Savour your minor victory, Yugi! I activate the trap card Wish of Final Effort! Now I gain my monster's attack points as life-" He broke off, reflexively shielding his face his trap card shattered apart violently. "What did you do?"

**Life Points**

Kaiba: 3000

Yami: 2000

"Sorry, Kaiba." Yami folded his arms as the Sorcerer 'tsk'd at Kaiba, complete with a finger wave. "My Sorcerer can negate and destroy any trap you activate." A card flashed into existence behind his monster. "End turn!"

The CEO drew sharply, his eyes narrowed until he glanced at the card he had drawn. A dark smirk spread across his face. "This card will be your end, Yugi! I banish X-Head Cannon and my Vorse Raider in order to summon out Chaos Emperor Dragon – Envoy of the End!"

What could only be described as a chilling roar echoed around the arena, sending shivers down the backs of everyone watching, as a tear appeared on the field, blackness leaking out from within. Clawing its way through the hole was a green dragon with golden plating, and a fiery red mane creeping down the back of its thin neck. Its vicious face found Yami across the field and it hissed snake like at the Pharaoh. (3000/2500)

"_Another heavy hitter,"_ Yami thought to himself. "_Kaiba really has gone all out this time. And so have I. This is where the fight truly begins..."_

OOO

The VIP box was noisy. The rest of the competitors were glued to the window, cheering, shrieking and wincing at every turn. The younger competitors, like Koji, Riley and Leon, shared food as they watched, while the older ones whined and lamented their own losses. The only missing competitors were Hana and Ali, who were with the tournament medics trying to divine Hana's health after her apparent fainting.

While half the box celebrated, the other half was silent, with not a single cheer from the onlookers – it felt wrong in light of everything that had happened in the last hour. Instead they sat, twisting fingers in their laps, fidgeting and collectively holding their breath as they prayed for the end.

Tea turned her head once more to glance at the unconscious body behind them, which lay peaceful and undisturbed. She was sure that it was not supposed to take this long to wake up after an Orichalcos match, but what did she know? She had not been there when the Pharaoh had lost Yugi, and that unique outcome had never presented itself again since. Serenity, one of the few who was not glued to the match, was sitting beside the sofa, alert and watchful for any signs of life.

Joey uttered a soft oath as Chaos Emperor Dragon appeared. Tea remembered it too – Kaiba had used it at the KC Championships.

"_Come on Yugi..._" Tea thought to herself. "_Keep going. Just get to the end of this and then we can get our friend back and stop all of this."_ How he and the Pharaoh managed to get down there and put a brave face on in front of so many people, she had no idea, but it was a strange mixture of inspirational and terrifying.

A piercing ringtone burst through the box, causing the quieter half of the box to jump violently. Tea reached the source first – it was Yugi's phone, stowed safely in her handbag for the duration of his duel. She felt a bit odd answering it, but as she saw the caller ID lit up with Ishizu's name, she knew she had to. It was probably Malik ringing to tell them that he had landed.

"Hello?"

She had no idea how she knew, but as she heard the faintest sound of a voice hitching on the end of the line, she knew that something horrible had happened – horrible enough to break the normally immovable Ishizu down. Had Odion taken a turn for the worse?

"Tea, I was hoping for Yugi. Is he there?"

"He's in a match, Ishizu," Tea felt her heart pound in her chest. "What's happened? Is Odion okay?"

"Odion is fine," Ishizu seemed to regain a little of her control, but she still sounded frightened. "It's Malik. He never made his flight."

"What do you mean?" the prickling of very real fear were creeping at Tea's skin again. She saw everyone rounding on her, eyes wide and demanding an explanation. "He was gone from the hotel this morning – Ryou saw him off."

"His flight landed an hour ago," a break reappeared in Ishizu's voice, but she reigned it back in quickly. "And he has not come through. I spoke to the flight desk, and he never checked in at Heathrow."

"Have you called the police?" Tea asked, urgently. She was out of her chair now and pacing. Usually she would not worry too much about Malik being alone in a big city – he had run the Rare Hunters after all – but in light of the attack on Odion and Ryou's unconscious body on the sofa, the prospect of Malik missing in the UK was not only worrying, but completely frightening.

Ishizu was explaining that it was too early for the police to declare Malik missing, and in any case, he was missing in London, not Egypt, and Tea nodded in understanding. "Okay, get somewhere safe, and keep trying to call him. We'll look for him on our end. We'll find him Ishizu. I promise."

She hung up slowly, her pacing stalling, her eyes darting between the pleading looks of her friends, and the sight of Ryou on the sofa, before she brushed away a tear and began to deliver the news.

OOO

"I pay a thousand life points to activate Chaos Emperor Dragon's effect!" Kaiba continued, ignoring the gasps and loud swears coming from the diehard fans in the audience – the two Envoys were some of the most infamous creatures in Duel Monsters. "Now all the cards on the field and in our hands are sent to the graveyard, and you lose three hundred life points for each one!"

**Life Points**

Kaiba: 2000

Yami: 2000

"I won't be wiped out so easily, Kaiba!" Yami shouted, over the shrieks of twenty thousand fans. "I chain to your dragon's effect, discarding Hanewata to negate all effect damage done to me!"

Even as everything was obliterated in Chaos Emperor Dragon's wake, Kaiba snarled at the sight of a tiny orange puffball with wings and antenna appearing on Yugi's side of the field to shield him. It vanished in a small explosion of fur.

"That is the difference between you and me, Kaiba," Yami smirked. "I understand that even the smallest of monsters are capable of great things." He smiled as Hanewata slid into the graveyard.

Fuming beyond rational speech, Kaiba waved him on, still gnashing his teeth together. Yami drew, and examined the card quickly before setting it onto his duel disk.

"I set a monster and end my turn!"

"_This won't be easy,"_ he thought. "_With both of us topdecking, this will come down to who has the strongest bond with their deck..._"

Silently, Kaiba drew and set his card straight into his spell and trap zone, before jerking his head like a badly controlled marionette. Yami drew again.

"I tribute my Big Shield Gardna to summon Berfomet to the field!"

With a cheer at something exciting finally happening again, the audience then shrieked as the demonic beast with huge clawed wings appeared (1400/1800).

"Thanks to Berfomet's effect," Yami continued. "I can add Gazelle, the King of Mythical Beasts to my hand!"

"I fail to see why I should be worried," Kaiba drawled, before pressing a button on his duel disk. "I activate my Cloning Trap Card! Now I can summon a Clone Token with the same stats as your Berfomet!"

Sure enough, as the trap lifted a thick glutinous substance oozed up from the ground, twisting and rising up into a duplicate of Yami's Berfomet. The beast growled across the field at the cheap impersonation that now rested in defence mode (1400/1800).

"I end my turn," Yami watched the two monsters snarling at each other in unease. Kaiba's trap was a stumbling block that he could not deal with at the moment. They were both still in such precarious positions. A single badly executed move could spell defeat for either of them.

Kaiba drew and instantly dropped his card into the graveyard. "I discard the Thunder Dragon from my hand to add two more to my hand." The two cards slid obligingly out of his deck, and he caught them. "Now I sacrifice my Clone Token to summon one of them to the field!"

On cue, the jelly-like clone melted into the ground, revealing the green scaled serpentine creature with sparks spitting from its body (1600/1600).

"Destroy Berfomet with Lightning Force!"

There was nothing Yami could do but brace himself as the electricity zapped across the arena and ripped Berfomet in two. The beast howled in fury before disintegrating into ash, leaving Yami's field bare and exposed.

**Life Points**

Kaiba: 2000

Yami: 1800

"My move," Yami growled out, drawing, and feeling some of the tension vanish from his shoulders. "I activate Akashic Record – now I may draw two cards. However if I have played any copies of them already, I must banish them from my hand." Sending a quick plea to his deck, he drew twice more. A smirk crossed his lips and he knew Kaiba could see it from the way his back seemed to straighten.

"I activate the spell card Awakening From Beyond! Now I can add any monster from my graveyard to my hand, in exchange for letting you draw two cards – I choose Berfomet!"

Kaiba snarled even as he drew his cards. He knew that there was only one reason he would go for Berfomet.

"Ready Kaiba?" Yami was grinning again. "I activate Polymerization, fusing Gazelle and Berfomet to form Chimera, the Flying Mythical Beast!"

The swirling vortex phased into view, swallowing the two monsters momentarily before spitting out the twin headed creature, which snarled and spat at the CEO (2100/1800)

"Destroy Thunder Dragon! Pulverizing Pounce!"

Chimera roared with undisguised blood lust, leaping for the dragon and ripping it to pieces with unrestrained savagery. The audience winced, but a few were shrieking for more.

**Life Points**

Kaiba: 1500

Yami: 1800

"It's your move, Kaiba," Yami smiled as Chimera settled back on his side of the arena, growling and pawing restlessly at the ground. Kaiba, apparently immune to death growls from large mythical creatures, drew his card.

"_Better be careful,"_ Yami thought. "_My last move gave him extra cards. It's probably safe to assume he has enough to make a comeback."_

"I activate Monster Reincarnation," Kaiba began, plugging the spell into his duel disk. "Allowing me to return my Thunder Dragon to my hand!"

He slotted a card into his graveyard, and the machine obligingly handed him another one back. He immediately plugged another into his spell and trap zones.

"I set a monster in defence position, and one card facedown and end my turn."

Yami frowned as the cards materialised. Kaiba was clearly going for Twin Headed Thunder Dragon if he was returning it to his hand with all urgency. And yet here he was defending. Kaiba never defended unless absolutely necessary. He always preferred to be on the offence.

"_He's up to something,"_ the Pharaoh thought as he drew. "_No doubt about it."_ Still, he could not very well leave Kaiba with a monster on the field – if he had things to tribute he would only become more dangerous.

"Chimera, attack Kaiba's facedown monster! Pulverizing Pounce!"

The beast launched itself at the card, and Kaiba predictably gave his most haughty laugh.

"You've fallen into my trap, Yugi! Reveal facedown card – Magical Trick Mirror!"

"Oh no!" Yami was aghast. So that had been his plan!

"Oh yes," Kaiba was crowing. "Now I can steal any spell card from your graveyard – and I choose Polymerization, fusing my two Thunder Dragons into Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon!"

What emerged this time was nothing like its fusion counterparts – the dragon was red with one set of jaws protruding from the back of its neck, the other supporting a huge purple horn for a nose. Energy leaped from it, scorching the ground beneath its feet (2800/2100).

"Chimera, continue – destroy his facedown monster!" Yami did not falter, and he had a momentary view of Saggi the Dark Clown before it shattered beneath Chimera's paws.

"I set one card facedown and end my turn," Yami felt dreadfully uneasy again as Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon leered down at Chimera.

"I draw," Kaiba was back to being smug. He had the upper hand again, and everyone knew it. "I activate Card of Demise. Now I draw until I have five cards, in exchange for discarding my hand in five turns – of course, you won't last that long Yugi."

"_Definitely has the upper hand,"_ Yami thought.

"Now my Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon, attack Chimera!"

Once again lightning crashed into the arena, and Yami shielded his eyes. Chimera gave a roar of anguish before evaporating on the spot, leaving on the smell of burned fur in its wake.

**Life Points**

Kaiba: 1500

Yami: 1100

"I use Chimera's effect," Yami growled. "To bring back Berfomet in defence mode!"

The fiendish monster appeared, crouched with its wings protectively covering its body.

"I'll set two cards and end my turn," Kaiba swept his cards into the duel disk and folded his arms to gloat. "Enjoy your last turn while you can, Yugi. Because next turn my dragon is going to wipe you out and I will regain the title that should rightfully be mine!"

Yami was not listening, drawing his card and running his eyes over his hand, his mind filtering through strategy after strategy instead.

His lips curved into a smirk.

"Unfortunately, you won't be able to enjoy your dragon for long, Kaiba," he said. "I activate De-Fusion, splitting it into its counterpart Thunder Dragons!"

"What?!" Kaiba was enraged.

"But I'm not done," Yami announced. "I chain my trap card, Dark Renewal to your dragon's summoning, tributing one of your Thunder Dragons along with Berfomet to special summon Dark Magician of Chaos back from the graveyard!"

Kaiba was fuming again, but he was powerless to stop it as his dragon writhed and twisted, before separating back into the two long green snake-like monsters. One of them immediately vanished inside the large red coffin, along with Berfomet. The lid creaked ominously, allowing Dark Magician of Chaos to rise again (2800/2600).

"Thanks to Dark Renewal," Yami continued. "I can return a spell card from the graveyard to my hand – I choose Spider Web!" He was pleased that he got to use this card after all, having been forced to discard it for Power Balance earlier. "I now activate Spider Web, allowing me to select one of your cards from last turn and add it to my hand – I choose Card of Demise!"

He drew his hand back up to five and allowed himself to grin. "You were right Kaiba. This duel won't last five more turns. Go Dark Magician of Chaos! Destroy the first Thunder Dragon!"

The mage twirled his staff, allowing the dark energy to charge, before hurling it at full speed towards the dragon, which shrieked and dissolved into pixels on the spot.

**Life Points**

Kaiba: 300

Yami: 1100

"I set one card facedown and end my turn," Yami said, allowing himself to take a deep breath in relief. He had dodged a bullet in the form of Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon, and got one of his most powerful magicians back. Hopefully that would be enough for now.

"I activate Return From The Different Dimension!" Kaiba announced dramatically. "Now I pay half my life points to summon as many of my banished monsters as I want – I choose my three Blue Eyes White Dragons!"

**Life Points**

Kaiba: 150

Yami: 1100

The magnificent creatures that made Kaiba famous and feared in the duelling world appeared around him with a roar of joy (3000/2500 x3). Yami was certain he must have imagined it, but for a moment he thought he saw a flicker of something tender cross Kaiba's face. He'd always been oddly sentimental about his Blue Eyes, but something seemed different about it today...then he realised that he was in big trouble, and all thoughts of Kaiba's feelings for his cards evaporated.

"Now comes your end Yugi!" Kaiba bellowed, as the audience shrieked with an odd mixture of denial and excitement. "Blue Eyes White Dragon, destroy his Dark Magician of Chaos!"

The furious energy gathered in the nearest dragon's mouth, and Yami acted fast, wishing that he could save his magician, and knowing that that would not be possible.

"I banish Electromagnetic Turtle from my graveyard, ending the Battle Phase before your attack, Kaiba!"

Blue Eyes' attack faded and she gave a growl of disappointment. Kaiba was fuming again.

"When did _that _get in your graveyard?!"

"When you made me discard three cards with Power Balance," Yami replied calmly. "Have you anything else you would like to do?"

"Yes, I do!" the CEO snapped. "I activate Dimensional Lock! Now as long as it's on the field, none of the monsters on my field can be banished by card effect!"

Yami mentally cursed. It looked as though the Blue Eyes were all sticking around.

"I set three cards and end my turn!" Kaiba announced. "You've saved yourself for one more round Yugi, but you're just prolonging your humiliating defeat! Next turn, my Blue Eyes will attack and regain my title for me!"

"_Not if my deck has anything to say about it,"_ Yami thought to himself, his hand on his deck, ready to draw. "_Everyone is waiting for me to win so that we can save our friend and the rest of the world. Heart of the Cards, guide me."_

He drew swiftly, and grinned.

"I activate Monster Reborn, to bring back Dark Magician!"

The fans screamed in delight as the purple robed spellcaster reappeared, exchanging polite nods with Dark Magician of Chaos.

"Your magician doesn't stand a chance against my Blue Eyes!" Kaiba crowed. "Have you learned nothing from all the years of duelling me?!"

"Why yes, Kaiba," Yami nodded. "I've learned that attack points are not everything. It is the bond with the monsters that achieves everything – I activate Bond Between Teacher and Student, to revive Dark Magician Girl from the graveyard!"

The blonde magician appeared in a burst of colour, before settling onto the ground in defence mode.

"Your bonds gave you another monster for me to crush with my mighty dragons!" Kaiba sneered. "Have you given up so easily Yugi?"

"Not a chance, Kaiba," Yami said. "I activate Dark Magic Twin Burst, adding the attack of Dark Magician Girl to her master – Dark Magician, attack Blue Eyes White Dragon! Dark Magic Attack!"

Crossing both staffs, the magicians took to the air (2500/2100 – 4500/2100), twirling and spinning as power crested and burst free, rocketing its way towards the nearest dragon.

"Predictable!" Kaiba shouted. "I chain Staunch Defender and Another Fusion! Another Fusion fuses my three Blue Eyes into Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"

The three dragons blurred together, forming the ferocious fusion that roared in the face of the attack and sent a shiver of fear into the hearts of the audience. What the Ultimate Dragon lacked in elegance, it made up for in its ability to strike terror into anyone (4500/3800).

"And now Staunch Defender forces your magicians to battle my Ultimate Dragon!" Kaiba announced.

"You're destroying your own monster?!" Yami could not believe what he was hearing – Kaiba was never reckless with his Blue Eyes. He loved them too much.

"Please, what kind of idiot do you take me for?" the CEO sneered. "Since this is a new battle, I activate my second Magical Trick Mirror, stealing your Pump Up spell card and doubling Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon's attack points!"

Several people in the audience screamed, but it was lost over the roar of Blue Eyes, who was swelling in size until she covered almost the entire playing field, her wings spreading wide over the arena until the audience were sure that they could reach out and touch them (4500/3800 – 9000/3800).

"You've destroyed yourself Yugi!" Kaiba yelled. "Counterattack my dragon!"

Blue Eyes obeyed, and the entire arena seemed to freeze as Yami chuckled.

"You say that I am predictable Kaiba, but you are far worse than I. And I have two cards left to prove that! I activate the quick-play spell, Master Magician's Invocation, allowing me to immediately activate a normal spell card from my hand!"

"What can you possibl-" Kaiba's words hung unfinished in the air as Yami flipped around his final card to reveal Brave Attack. "NO!"

"I'm afraid so," the Pharaoh smirked. "Now I select my Dark Magician, and all the attack points of the other monsters on my field are added to his attack points for one turn only. Which means your dragon is finished! Now my magicians, strike him down and end this duel with Dark Magic Nova!"

Dark Magician Girl and Dark Magician of Chaos flanked Dark Magician, their three staff's crossing and charging a magnificent rainbow of energy that burst across the arena, crashing into Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon with a burst of white light that flared like a second sun. Blue Eyes roared in pain and defeat as she fell again at the hands of the magicians, before she crumpled to the ground and vanished.

**Life Points**

Kaiba: 0

Yami: 1100

Yami did not move, not even as the holograms faded away, or as the fans roared their delight incoherently into the sky, or the announcer proclaimed his victory loudly for the entirety of London to hear. His eyes were not looking at his fans, or for the faces of his friends in the VIP box, but at Kaiba. They had not moved from the moment the final attack had been called, as Kaiba's face had fixed itself into horror at the oncoming attack and now appeared through the vanishing holograms frozen in disbelief.

Searching his rival's face, Yami held his breath, wishing for some sign of life. He remembered the ending to each of his matches with Kaiba acutely, each one seared onto his memory with all the seething emotion that was connected with the CEO. The anger and incredulity that had shattered as the Pharaoh had administered the Penalty Game after their first match. The gloating that had followed Yami's defeat on the rooftop of Pegasus's castle. The immediate fury that had been unleashed after the semi finals of Battle City.

The announcer was still speaking, and the fans were still shrieking, but Yami kept watching, as Kaiba's face slowly started to come back to life. The Pharaoh was desperate. He could not afford to have Kaiba angry after this match – he needed him on his side to fight against Voldemort. Kaiba had to understand that he still had a part to play in this, and that his loss could not get in the way of stopping the evil that now faced them.

Finally meeting Yami's eyes, Kaiba stared back, as though he could see just what the Pharaoh was thinking, and was fighting the instinctive urge to lash out. Finally, grinding his teeth, he gave a short nod of concession, before walking off the field with a sweep of his trenchcoat.

Yami released the breath he had been holding, finally allowing the roar of the audience to pound against his ears.

/_We did it, Aibou_/

/_Yes we did_/ Yugi was not shy about sharing their victory this time. It had truly been a joint effort – it always was, no matter who was in the driving seat. Yugi understood that now. /_And now we can save our friend and the rest of the wizarding world_/

The thought was enough to keep them going through the entire victory presentation and the closing ceremony. Pegasus gave a floaty speech that nobody really listened to, and Yugi and Yami were infinitely grateful for the simplicity of the tournament ending, less they draw attention to the fact that several of the competitors were injured or had been forced by circumstance to leave.

Finally, an agonising hour after the duel had ended, Yugi was free from official photographs and presentations, and could escape back to the VIP box to meet his friends.

The instant he stepped over the threshold, he knew that something bad had happened again. Tea was there immediately, hugging him tightly and whispering a well done into his ear, but from the way her arms shook, he knew she was holding in grief. He did not even take a moment to savour being hugged by her, but instead broke away to look at everyone.

"What happened?"

And then it all came out, and Yugi wished that he could rewind time to before the World Championships – back to before the matches, and the aurors, and the tragedy that was striking them one after the other.

"We need to look for him," he said. Voldemort and the Death Eaters could wait – rescuing Malik from whatever trouble he had got himself into took priority.

"He could be anywhere in London," Harry pointed out darkly. "He might not even _be_ in London anymore."

"We'll go back to the hotel," Yugi said decisively. "Regroup, narrow down all the places he might have gone and then start looking. We need to do this properly, not just rush in..." His mind was so scrambled by fear that he did not think he could formulate a search plan at that moment anyway.

"I agree," a rough voice broke in. Everyone whirled to see Bakura sitting up on the sofa, staring with empty eyes at his own blanket covered knees.

"Bakura? You're alright! But..." Yugi trailed off, his mind finally clicking into place. He went pale. "No..."

Bakura closed his eyes, and nodded stiffly.

"Yes."

"Oh Ryou..."

"What?" Ron asked. "What's wrong?"

"Sorry to disappoint you," Bakura spat bitterly. "But it's me. I'm the one who's left behind."

"But that means..." Joey began.

"Yes. It means he's gone. The Orichalcos took Ryou."

OOO

**A/N: **AND FINALLY! Any duelling related questions, please PM 7th Librarian, as I probably will not be able to answer any of them.

Bakura: (tugs dog collar off) Can I have my normal clothes back now?

Mei: . . .no.


	12. Chapter 12: The Price of Failure

**A/N:** Onwards and upwards! This chapter is one of my favourites (and I don't say that about a lot of my work). Hope you all like!

Speaking of my other writing, anyone else doing Camp Nano next month? Please poke me if you are – I'd love to chat!

And apologies for my AN last chapter – the link to my blog didn't show up (you'd think after eight years on this site I'd remember that). The link is on my profile page if you want to have a look.

Also, forgot to mention last chapter that I am officially going to Ayacon in August – anyone fancy a glomp from a twenty five year old Kisara cosplayer?

OOO

**Chapter 12: The Price of Failure**

Holding the card up to the flickering candle light, Lord Voldemort's thin mouth curled into a smile. The face locked behind the bars of the Orichalcos had its eyes closed and its head hung in silent acceptance. He had been willing to go if it meant saving his other half. The sympathetic notions sickened the Dark Lord, and he shook his head. He should not be surprised. The boy was a Gryffindor, and where that house was concerned, bravery and stupidity often went hand in hand.

The new headquarters were silent, save for the occasional rumble that indicated muggle activity nearby. Even at this time of night, muggles still walked free through the city while most of the wizarding world slept. But patience was all Voldemort needed. Patience and time to extend his influence and reach. And soon, all muggles would fear to go into the open, day or night, and those noises would be silenced forever.

All his Death Eaters had been dismissed to do their duties, save for one who lingered just outside the door. Usually Voldemort might not have bothered, confident in his own abilities to take care of himself and his superior magic should anyone try to ambush him. But he was still cautiously testing the Orichalcos and the extent of its sentience, and he could not be too careful. He had worked hard to get this body back, and he did not want to lose it to his own weakness with power that was rightfully his.

He went back to staring at the card again, angry at the Seal of Orichalcos that barred the face behind it. He could bend this magic to his will. It would be so easy. Slowly, he raised the card to a nearby candle, wondering if the thief would feel the other half of his soul burning in his fingertips...

A pair of footsteps skipped towards the chamber, and he backed away from the candle, just in time to see Marik, the self proclaimed Dark One barge past the protesting Death Eater and stride into the room. He looked positively giddy, and Voldemort felt his irritation flare.

"Why are you so happy?" he demanded, as he waved the apologetic Death Eater back with a curse from his wand. The man yelped and fled, leaving a smirking Marik to lean against the wall.

"Just saying hello to a dear friend of mine..."

Voldemort wasn't stupid. He wasn't even sure that 'friend' was in Marik's vocabulary unless it involved exploiting the sentiment as a weakness. The smile on his face was downright alarming, and as Voldemort studied him, he caught the scent of blood. Maybe 'friend' was not an accurate term...unless...

"Ishtar," Voldemort realised. "You went to see him."

"Very perceptive," Marik grinned, pulling out an oddly shaped weapon and running his finger along the blade. It took Voldemort a while to pinpoint the blood – it was caked into the blade and barely distinguishable in the dark light until Marik began picking it off. It drifted to the ground in large dried flakes. Voldemort wanted to ask just what he had done to him, before deciding against it. He would probably sleep better if he remained ignorant. Suffice to say he was pretty sure now that Ishtar was out of the picture, which just made his job much easier.

"Clean up after yourself," he said casually, turning to face the candle, and holding the card in the flame once more.

A feral growl caused him to turn, pulling the card out of the flames. The lamination gave a funny smell as it smouldered.

"You have not been idle I see," the Dark One hissed, and Voldemort swiftly pocketed the card. Somehow waving it in Marik's face did not seem like the best idea anymore.

"That," he said firmly. "Is none of your business."

He could see the muscles in Marik's jaw clenching as he ground his teeth together. He squeezed the oddly shaped weapon upside down, and Voldemort caught sight of a golden ball with wings at the end of it. The Eye of Horus seemed to wink in a flicker of candle light, and Voldemort understood in a horrifying instant just how dangerous Marik had become. He was deadly enough to have reclaimed the Millennium Rod and done who knew what to his other half. Tensing, Voldemort clenched his wand in his pocket and stared the other man down.

Finally, Marik broke the stalemate, turning on his heel and striding dramatically towards the door. Voldemort fought down the urge to remind him that he had not been dismissed, but he swiftly disregarded that. This man was not a Death Eater, and he could not order him around. And he was quickly beginning to worry that he could not control him either.

A clang of metal on stone rang out, followed by a startled hiss. Voldemort snapped out of his concerns to see the tail of Marik's cloak sweeping out of the door. Nagini was coiled just outside, a knife, this one clean and blood free laying on the ground millimetres from her head.

Voldemort saw red and snapped his fingers. Still hissing in displeasure, Nagini slithered her way into the room and wound her way up to his shoulder. She flicked her tongue at the door.

"I shall have to keep a closer eye on him, my pet," Voldemort mused. "Not with you though...I think it's time I gave you closer protection."

He fiddled with the stone around his neck, unaware that it pulsed happily at his words in the candle light. Patience would definitely serve him well in this plan, with such a volatile ally lurking nearby. But the plan was simple, and had already been effectively set in motion. Before the muggle world could fall to him, its protectors had to be removed from the picture.

He glanced at the door again, before pinching the used Seal of Orichalcos between his thumb and forefinger.

Two of those protectors, had already fallen to him. Now it was everybody else's turn.

OOO

There was a reason that Bakura did not get drunk.

It was for the same reason that he did not attempt to French kiss cobras. They both led to a mouthful of poison. The only difference was that one killed you faster.

He had only on a rare few occasions (like festivals) got completely plastered back in Ancient Egypt. He wasn't stupid, and he had been all too aware that a shitfaced Thief King at night was likely a dead Thief King by morning. But here, locked in Ryou's hotel room (with the door bolted so that even his dumbassed father could not intrude on his misery) with the contents of the minibar at his disposal, he did not give a flying fuck. The first bottle of clear liquor had burned like hell on its way down, causing his eyes to water and his nose to sting. But the tang of alcohol was comforting on the tongue, and all too soon he felt the trance-like daze settle over him as he drained all the beers and over half of the spirits. A row of the empty bottles grew longer and longer on the edge of the desk, and he was flicking cashew nuts at them from the end of the bed when Yami slunk into the room.

"Your aim is terrible," the Pharaoh greeted, wrinkling his nose as he caught the distinct stench of alcohol coming off of Bakura.

"An' you're breaking in," Bakura slurred. Yami did at least have the decency to look sheepish, and he stowed Yugi's wand back in his pocket.

"I think you've had enough Bakura," Yami said wisely, gathering up the empty bottles. "You know Ryou hates how much hotel minibars cost."

"Well Ryou's not here to complain now, is he?!" Anger was creeping into Bakura's tone, sending his blood boiling. Sloppily, he poured himself another glass and drained it. He pulled a face as it scorched his throat.

"What'm I drinking anyway?" he asked, fumbling for the bottle again. Yami seized it before he could and read the label, his face twisting into disgust.

"Russian Vodka - one hundred percent proof. Smart Bakura. Really smart." He went to the minibar and gathered the few remaining bottles up in his arms, tossing a can of tonic water at Bakura as he did smirking at the satisfying 'clunk' it made as it hit the Thief's head. He was a little concerned however when Bakura appeared not to feel a thing.

"Where you going with those?" Bakura demanded, pawing his way across the bed and tumbling ungracefully off it as he misjudged his step. He grunted as the wind was knocked painfully out of him.

"I'm pouring them down the sink!" Yami shouted from the bathroom. "Money can be replaced, but clearly you don't give a damn about what state Ryou's liver will be in when we get him back."

The drunken cynicism in Bakura raged to curse the Pharaoh to oblivion and back. The part of him that actually worried for his hikari began kicking his ass for not thinking, and he hauled himself back onto the bed and snapped open the can of tonic water. The bubbles fizzed up his nose and made him cough.

"I miss beer," Bakura moaned. "Not that watery shit I just swallowed. Proper stuff, like we used to have in Egypt. Remember?"

"No," Yami said bluntly, as he emerged from the bathroom with the empty bottles. "I don't remember."

"You would if you tasted it," Bakura said morosely, staring into his tonic water. "Thick as soup...full of the good stuff...s'pose you had wine. I had wine once..." he gave a wide grin that only intoxication could achieve. "Stole it off you."

"You did not!" Yami said, deciding that at least this line of conversation was better than dealing with an angry Bakura. He got himself a can of coke and settled down on the end of the bed (there was no point in trying to save Ryou's minibar budget now). Bakura nodded in a dazed fashion.

"Honest to Ra! Snuck in. Stole loads of it. Kept'em until the next festival. My friends fucking loved me that night."

He gazed vacantly into the distance and took another swig from his can.

"I'm surprised between robbing tombs and wreaking havoc you found time to be social," Yami smirked, rolling his own can between his hands. Bakura bobbed his head.

"Just a few guys...good guys. Knew they had my back. You didn't fuck with any of us..." he snorted. "Mkhai was the only one who could drink me under the table...huge guy." He added, seeing Yami's confused face. "Could rip a guys arm off...did once too." He grinned wider still. "Never been so glad to have him on my side..."

"What happened?" Yami would never admit it, but he was intrigued. With details of his rule so flimsy and fragile in his own mind, hearing about Egypt, even another person's experience of it, was a treat, like presenting him a piece of chocolate after a starvation diet.

Gulping down more tonic water, Bakura wiped his mouth on the back of his hand before beginning.

"There was this friend of ours –" his breath hitched in his throat momentarily before he continued. " –Layla was her name, and she'd been acting weird...weirder than usual I mean. She was all quiet and jumpy. Anyway, she lived in this inn we used to go to, and one night she didn't come out to help out. Me, Mkhai and Kebi asked around. Turned out there was some creep in town – Oji," he spat out the name like a bad taste. "Real thug. Fucked over anyone who looked at him funny. I'd heard of him before – he beat the shit out of Chigaru once. Anyway, turns out Lay's family owed him. Got her in the alley outside the bar and made threats. Serious fucking threats."

As he spoke, Yami saw him crush the can tighter and tighter in his fist until it barely resembled a drink, and the last dregs of tonic water were leaking out the fractures in the tin.

"She put up a great fight – she was a tough girl. But it was three guys against her. No chance. Anyway, me and Mkhai stepped in. Mkhai pulled the arms off the goons, and I put a few holes in Oji. Kebi hung back. Made sure she was okay. He wasn't a fighter. Too scrawny...everyone always used to say he looked like a pretty little girl. S'why he got a girl's name..."

His train of thought seemed to end on that note, and he took a final gulp of water, and looked confused at the state the can had wound up in at the mercy of his fist. Yami recognised that look and decided to change the topic before Bakura started brooding.

"Well I'm not Mkhai, or Kebi, but will I do for drinking with?" he asked, lifting his own can. Bakura grunted.

"Kebi would find this...this _bonding_ of ours fucking hilarious," he admitted. "He was the only one who knew...bout my village I mean." He snorted again. "He always said I was wasting time and energy hating you...he was afraid of the Gods y'see. So he figured that hating you wouldn't get anything done. Your father and you were Gods. _No point in arguing with Gods Kura_, he'd say."

His gaze wandered again, and Yami knew he would have some apologising to do...but later. When Bakura was sober enough to remember it.

"I don't think you hate me half as much as you used to," Yami said. Bakura gave a lopsided grin.

"Yeah, but don't think that makes you safe, your highness," he sneered, giving a mock bow as best he could from his slumped position against the headboard. "Nah, I still think you're a prick. But I've been doing a lot of thinking."

"Oh dear," Yami teased.

"Shut up," Bakura pointed a wobbly finger at him, but he did not sound half as intoxicated as before. "I have been thinking, and I've worked it out. Y'see there's this book that hikari gave me to read over the summer...it's about the apocalypse and witches and these four people on bikes...oh and a dog..." He snagged Yami's can of coke from his hand and gulped it down, with a thoughtful frown on his face. "I forget what it's called...but anyway, the point is, that there's heaven...and there's hell. Good. Bad. Bliss. Sin."

He held up his hands like a pair of very shaky scales. "And that's good...really good if you believe all that shit. But then if the apocalypse comes, and one of them gets destroyed...then the world gets boring y'see? The world needs this...conflict. And you and me..." he gestured with his stolen coke. "Well you're like heaven...and I'm like hell. And if one of us destroys the other..." he gave a yawn which did not look fake. "Boooooooring..."

"I see," Yami was smiling as he contemplated this. "So you're saying it's more exciting if both of us are around? And if one of us destroyed the other one, then we'd have nothing to do." He took the coke can back and chuckled. "I have to say Bakura, you may actually be right about that."

"Course I'm right!" Bakura huffed indignantly. "Evidence is all around you! I mean look. Everything comes in pairs, doesn't it? Men. Women. Old people. Young people. You can't just take one away. Then you're just left with one thing. Just men. Or just young people..." he trailed off, his eyes clouding over suddenly, and Yami felt his heart drop into his stomach as he guessed what Bakura was thinking.

_Just dark...no light. No Ryou..._

He tried to control it. Yami could see him struggling, as he stared desolately at the bed cover. Slowly, crack by crack, Bakura's stupor broke, and his whole body seemed to deflate. He pressed the heels of his hands against his eyes, his finger tips grabbing two handfuls of hair and pulling.

It was only when his shoulders shook, that Yami realised that the spirit was crying.

"Bakura..." Yami did not know what to say, though he knew that gut wrenching feeling of loneliness better than anyone.

"I failed him Pharaoh..." Bakura croaked, from somewhere in his curled ball of misery. "I was supposed to go...not him...never him..." He shuddered as another ragged sob burst free. "I'm the fuck up! I'm the one who's supposed to suffer! Not him! It's not fair!"

Yami wished for a moment that Yugi was here. Comfort was second nature to his hikari, whereas he was just downright unsure of what to do. Affectionate displays made him a little uncomfortable. Eventually he settled for placing a hand on Bakura's shoulder. Yugi probably would have hugged him, but Bakura didn't really _do_ hugs, and neither did Yami. And besides, Bakura would never have broken down like this in front of Yugi. It struck Yami in that moment, that there were probably only two people in the world who were significant enough to Bakura to warrant him not behaving like an asshole – Ryou and himself. He wondered if he should be pleased or worried, and settled for awkwardly rubbing his back instead.

"I promised him..." Bakura finally moaned, when he was capable of speaking coherently again. "I promised him I wouldn't fuck up his life anymore...and now I've gone and done it again...why didn't it take me instead like it was supposed to?!"

Yami did not have an answer to those questions any more than he had when he had asked them himself. So he sat, awkwardly patting the King of Thieves while he sobbed his heart out into the bed.

OOO

"Green Park Station."

Everyone's heads snapped up from computers and phone to stare at Joey. The room was not ideal for such a large gathering, but finding Malik was a higher demand than comfort. Any inch of the room shared by Yugi and Tea that was not taken up with a body, was taken up by street maps, underground maps, timetables, empty pizza boxes and cans of fizzy drink. Rebecca's laptop hummed along with the rustling of papers.

As soon as they had arrived back at the hotel Yugi had split the group up to trace Malik. They had combed as much of London as they could before the sun went down before giving up for the night and returning to the hotel room to continue their investigations. Yami, who had been unable to locate any sign of the Orichalcos nearby, had gone to see if Bakura could track him with the Ring. Ishizu had been in contact with the police, and they had already called Yugi to ask questions and explain that they would be around the next day to check the room and see if Malik had left any clues behind (apparently he had to be missing for twenty four hours to warrant filing a missing persons report). Against Yugi's better judgement, Hermione had gone ahead and sent an owl to the Ministry, pointing out that if there was even the slightest possibility of it being linked to Death Eaters, they would have more eyes over the city.

"What?" Yugi asked, looking up from the list of flights that had left Heathrow Airport that morning.

"Green Park Station," the blond duellist replaced the phone back on the handset, and waved the piece of paper he had been scribbling on. "Malik vanished from Green Park Station sometime between five fifty one and five fifty six."

"Hang on, back up," Harry said. "How did you find that out? The police haven't called back, and the aurors haven't been in touch either."

"Don't need them," Joey rolled his eyes. "I just rang the transport office and asked if Malik's bags had been handed in."

"His bags?" Ron asked in disbelief.

"Hey if you were kidnapping someone, would you stop to grab their luggage?" Joey pointed out. "Anyway they called me back. Malik's bags were found at Green Park Station on the southbound Victoria platform. The woman who handed them in got off the five fifty six train. There are five minutes between each train on that line. If he had been there before the previous train, someone else would have handed them in. He got to the platform, waited for the next train, but he never got on it."

"That doesn't necessarily mean that he vanished on the platform," Tea pointed out logically. "Maybe he got on the train and forgot his luggage? He was tired and anxious. Maybe it slipped his mind?"

"At that time of morning the platform would have been quiet," Tristan was shaking his head. "He would have seen his mistake straight away and called the TFL or alerted somebody at the station. Joey's right. Malik never got on the train."

"Wait, why would Malik have been on the Victoria Line?" Harry asked, scrabbling through his limited knowledge of the London Underground. "I may be wrong, but the Piccadilly Line is the one that goes to Heathrow right?"

"I asked," Joey said, waving the phone. "Piccadilly was having emergency repairs done to it this morning at Knightsbridge. Malik would have had to detour via Green Park to get around them."

Yugi turned to the blonde perched precariously on the bed. "Becky..."

"On it," Rebecca assured him, her fingers flying over the keys at lightning speed.

"What did you call this thingy again?" Ron asked, prodding the screen sharply with his finger as binary ran along the top of the window. Rebecca slapped his hand away.

"A laptop, dummy. And don't prod my screen! You'll break it, and your fingers are sticky!"

Ron pouted and licked the barbecue sauce off his fingers.

The door handle opened with a noisy click and everyone jumped, but it was only Yami with a look of pure exhaustion on his face. Drunk Bakura apparently was more taxing than the most deadly of Shadow Game.

"How is he?" Yugi asked, not liking his darker half's grim expression.

"Drunk out of his mind," the former Pharaoh reported.

"And you're still in one piece?" Joey circled their friend to check that there were no carefully concealed knives sticking where they weren't supposed to be.

"Apparently so," Yami replied dryly. "He's sleeping it off now. I don't think he's going anywhere until tomorrow morning."

"That's good I suppose," Yugi said. "At least we know he's not going to do anything stupid. Do you want to rest Pharaoh?" He was not oblivious to his other half's needs, and Yami nodded thankfully.

"If that's okay. What have you found first?"

"Joey had a brainwave," Mai put in, and Joey grinned goofily.

"Yeah and speaking of, we might wanna call the police. They'll probably wanna get Malik's luggage and check it for clues too."

"Got it!" Rebecca announced, and everyone crowded around her laptop to see exactly what she had. The right side of her screen was filled with binary, the meaning of which they could only guess, and another window behind it had a signal bar, apparently linked with some kind of programme that unscrambled code. The foremost window was chugging through images of a dark tunnel with tiles and posters on the wall, and train tracks running through it.

"That's the southbound Victoria line at half past five this morning," Rebecca reported, pointing at the screen.

"What is this? Like a television then?" asked Ron, who's knowledge of muggle technology ended at anything more complex than a telephone.

"Its CCTV Ron," Hermione said, in a tone that indicated that she would explain later.

"Why is it lagging like that?" Duke asked. "That's not a continuous feed, is it Becks?"

Rebecca shook her head and started pressing the button that skipped to the next frame. "Too expensive. These are shots taken at two second intervals on the platform..."

"There he is!" this time Tristan was the one to jab the screen, and he yelped as Rebecca whacked him on the nose. He was right though. Trailing his bags behind him, Malik entered the platform and sat down on the bench in a hunched over position. He looked utterly dejected.

"No one else on the platform is there?" Yugi's heart sank. Another person might have been a good lead. It would have been a place to start looking at any rate.

"It's weird, even at that time of the morning there should have been at least a few people on that platform..." Rebecca was saying, pausing in her slideshow of the images to wave her mouse over the digital billboard that hung over the platform, giving the current time and the number of minutes until the next train. "And he's sitting there for a good three minutes-"

The room fell abruptly silent as Rebecca clicked to the next frame and Malik's hunched over body vanished from the seat.

"Whoa!" Joey said. "Where'd he go?!"

"Go back Rebecca," Yugi urged, not taking his eyes off the window as Rebecca backed the frame to five hours fifty six minutes and four seconds. There was Malik, accompanied by the glowing lights of the oncoming train. A click of her mouse to five hours fifty six minutes and six seconds, and the train's nose had just pulled into the station, but the blonde Egyptian had vanished from his seat, leaving only his luggage marooned on the platform.

"Two seconds apart you said these clips were?" Yugi confirmed.

"Exactly," Rebecca agreed. "Too short for him to just get up and walk away."

"He just vanished," Tea muttered, still gazing at the screen.

"Suddenly magic is looking a whole lot more likely," Tristan admitted.

"Do you think maybe some of us should go down to Green Park and have a look for clues?" Harry suggested. Surprisingly, it was Hermione who put her foot down first.

"At this time of night, we'd only be asking for trouble poking around where we're not supposed to," she objected. "Besides, millions of travellers must have gone through that station today – any evidence will probably have been obliterated."

"Unless it's magical evidence," Ron said.

"I agree with Hermione," Yugi admitted. "It's late. We're all exhausted. We can't do anything else for Malik tonight. Tomorrow morning we'll go straight down there to check it out. For now, we should break up for the night and try to get some sleep. Tomorrow we'll have Bakura back with us, and it'll be much easier to find Malik with the Ring. And if we find Malik...well with any luck we'll at least find a clue to getting Ryou back too."

However much Yugi wanted to scour every inch of London all night to find his friend, Yami's exhaustion was starting to creep over to his own mind, and he knew they were no use to their friend like this. It had been a long day, and most of them had been duelling throughout. He believed in Malik and his ability to look after himself, and for now, he had to trust that that would be enough to keep him safe until they could continue the search.

"Okay, you heard the man," Tristan said briskly. "Let's clear these pizza boxes out and turn in. We'll see you all at breakfast. Sleep well guys."

But as Yugi curled up under the covers half an hour later, he knew sleep would be a long time coming for all of them.

OOO

He had thought it was a one off – a product of tournament stress, the high pressures of running a company, and the trance like state that one always has in a dream. It was certainly nothing that he could not control or fix himself.

And yet, the next night, the dream had come again.

She stood in the dream-bedroom, proud, determined, but a little shy at the same time, as though unsure of how they now stood after last night. She seemed happier – pleased and relieved to see him. Saying something about how the shadows had been broken earlier that day – how the dead were fighting back. He felt like he should understand what she was saying, but when he thought about it on waking, it would make no sense to him, and his rational mind would quickly dismiss it.

Then she was there in his arms – joyful, sweet, strong and all his – and none of it really mattered anymore. Not the people in Duat (or wherever the hell it was) suffering, not the threat of Voldemort or the nagging thought in his mind that he should not be doing this. He was Seto Kaiba. He did not let anyone get close – certainly not anyone related to Yugi's little fairytales about Ancient Egypt. But she was curled up at his side, her head resting on his shoulder, and those thoughts would slip from his mind in an instant.

The first night, he had fallen asleep like that...properly asleep that was. No longer dreaming (oddly or otherwise) only coming to when Mokuba's alarm clock buzzed from the table on the other side of the room. He was grateful for his little brother's sluggishness first thing in the morning, which allowed him to regain his composure. Even he would not be able to explain this to his little brother if he noticed. What could he say? That he was..._communicating_ with the spirit of his dragons?

The second night he had stayed dreaming for a little longer, listening to her talk softly before he drifted off into deep slumber. Now on the third night, he could ignore it no longer. He needed answers, and she was the only one in a position to provide them.

"Kisara..." he felt odd giving her a name. For so long she had just been his dragons, and their image had just been a hologram. Now her image was a woman and her name was Kisara. It would take getting used to.

"Yes Seto?" she was in her usual position, curled up at his side, with her head on his shoulder, and she purred as he trailed a finger through her hair and down the back of her neck.

"Why do you appear to me in my...dreams?" he could not believe he was asking this. "Reoccurring dreams from stress or a long day I could understand, but this...isn't just a normal reoccurring dream is it?"

She tilted her head to the side, like a cat trying to fathom out something only it could see.

"This...isn't a dream Seto," she said firmly. "I know you have realised that by now."

He had. That was his problem. It was far too life like to be a dream, but not logical enough to be real.

"You know what has been happening. You pretend not to," she added with a frown that was torn between disapproval and wry exasperation. "But you do listen to them. Keep an eye on them, even though you like to pretend that they're not your friends-"

"They're not my friends," he said automatically.

"Allies then," she amended impatiently, powering on through her explanation before he could object to having allies either. "Either way, you watch them. You know those earthquakes four nights ago were not random occurrences."

Kaiba's knowledge of the earthquakes in question extended to the news reports, but his only interest had been to secure the company, check damage reports and keen a cautious eye on their stocks (which had taken a disconcerting dip in the wake of the disasters, but were now slowly starting to rise again). But keeping tabs on Yugi and his gang of dorks had shed some disturbing light on them. Now he knew that this Voldemort character was involved, and indeed Kisara herself had confirmed it the first night she had seen him. He had to admit, his interest had been grabbed just for that fact alone.

"Men like the Dark Lord, and his accomplices, do not take prisoners," Kisara said, her voice dark with anger. "You know that they would not stop at your friends. Regardless of whether you had played a part in this or not, they would have targeted you eventually. And I would never allow you to charge into battle without first knowing what you were up against."

"Hmm...you would never allow it?" the CEO's lips twitched with a hint of amusement. She flushed a little, but held her chin high.

"Yes, me. I promised five thousand years ago-"

He could not help it. A derisive snort burst free and he turned his head away from her. She sat upright, her eyes narrowing dangerously as he rolled over so his back was to her.

"Seto-"

"Save it. You know I don't care about ancient fairytales."

He could actually feel the growl of frustration well up inside her, and for a moment he wondered if he might end up on the toastier end of a White Lightning Attack. Instead a firm hand grabbed his chin and yanked him forcibly over onto his back.

"Fine. Don't believe in the past. Gods know I would be foolish to try and make you change your stubborn mind. But you believe in the present, and there are millions of souls stuck in hell, and a madman feasting off them for power. Right now, Seto. Not five thousand years ago. _Right now. _The tombkeeper and the Thief King's hikari – your _friends_ – are in trouble, right now. And you knew that before I even told you. So don't pretend for one second that you don't care."

She released him angrily and rolled over to the other side of the bed, her arms folded across her chest. Cautiously, Kaiba turned his head just enough to catch the rise and fall of her breathing. Almost as if she knew she was being watched, she swiftly threw the covers back and slipped off the bed.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"To check on the souls in Duat," she said, not looking at him once as she pulled on the dress she wore every night.

"Kisara," he could not help himself, just as he could not help the feeling that he really did not want her to leave yet.

"You should sleep," she carried on, cutting him off abruptly. "Good night Seto."

And she left, leaving an empty room, and Seto Kaiba feeling smaller than he ever had in his life.

OOO

_Something tickled her ears. Teased her fingertips. Ran over her skin..._

_It was warm...wrapping her in its embrace..._

_It tickled her ears again. She tried to move her hand to brush it away._

_She couldn't move._

_She opened her eyes and couldn't see. It prickled and stabbed at her vision like tiny claws. The warmth suffocated her, drowning as it poured into her mouth, her nose, her ears. Gritty, salty, coarse...sand..._

_Sand._

_She was drowning in sand!_

_She clawed her way around, but there was no way out. Her lungs were bursting as the sand poured down her throat. Through the muted trickle of more sand filling her prison, she caught snatches of laughter and happiness...her friend's happiness...they were playing on the beach below. They didn't see her. They weren't going to help her..._

_She crumpled against the crushing weight, screaming, and screaming and screaming..._

Heart racing, Mai Valentine opened her eyes.

The hotel room was dark, with only the faintest shadows indicating where the furniture was. A lone red light was blinking on the television, and behind her in the next bed she could hear Serenity's soft breathing.

"_No sand..."_ she told herself, trying slowly to uncurl from her frozen position. The sheets were unbearably constricting and she pushed them away. "_There's no sand. I'm in my hotel room. I'm safe..."_

But was she safe? Earlier that very day she had held a lump of Orichalcum in her hands. She had thrown it to the floor and crushed it beneath her heel, but at the same time she had also felt the pull of the power. And it terrified her to think that she might again reach out for it in a moment of weakness.

A new sound penetrated her thoughts - rain beating steadily on the windows. The weather forecast had warned of a storm brewing, but the humidity had not budged an inch. The room was unbearably hot and stuffy, reminding her of the hot sand crushing against her, and Mai decided she needed a walk or a strong cup of tea. Serenity had drunk the all complimentary tea in their room, but she knew room service was open twenty four hours. Not wanting to wake her roommate by placing the phone call, she decided to go and order downstairs. Stretching her legs might help clear her head.

Grabbing her dressing gown, key card, and slipping her flip flops on, Mai slipped out of the room and into the corridor. The lights were blinding to her after the darkness of her room, and she took a moment to blink away the black spots before heading down the staircase. Each step seemed to take her further and further away from the nightmare and by the time she reached the ground floor, she had managed to pull a hint of a smile back on her face.

Her mood improved as she entered the reception and glanced beyond the plant pots that lined the entrance to the hotel bar. The tables were empty, and the bar was deserted, but Joey was tucked away in a table in the corner with a cup and saucer in front of him. Apparently sleep was not on the cards for either of them. Placing her order with the beady eyed night manager, Mai weighed up her options, before approaching the bar.

"I thought all American's drank coffee," she greeted, tugging her dressing gown a little tighter around her as she approached. He glanced up from his drink and sat up straight in his seat. He had pulled his jeans on, but the shirt was definitely one he had slept in – it was wrinkled almost as bad as his hair.

"I'm soaking up the culture," he said with a lopsided grin. He pushed the opposite chair out with his foot, and Mai sat down.

"And what's the cultural verdict?" she asked. She had to grin wider as Joey pulled a face at the liquid in his cup.

"Bitter," he said.

"It tastes better with milk you know," she said, nodding to the small white jug of milk that had been provided next to the tea pot. Joey frowned.

"I dunno...I live in Japan. Putting milk in tea just doesn't feel right, y'know?"

He took another sip, and Mai had to smile at the face he pulled while swallowing. Her own cup and saucer arrived, exactly the same, but without the jug of milk. The steaming hot water was slowly turning a pale green colour as the camomile began to diffuse into the mixture.

"You gonna eat that biscuit?" Joey asked. She shook her head and he snagged it quickly. "Thanks."

Mai bobbed her teabag around in the water for a little while before leaving it on the saucer. Now that she was here, she wasn't sure why she had sat down.

"You couldn't sleep?" she finally asked. Joey shook his head.

"Nah...thinking about things...that and Tristan was snoring," he said, breaking the biscuit in half. "I dunno Mai. I just keep wondering why this always happens to us..." He looked up from his drink. "I mean, we don't ask for any of this to happen to us, but it always does."

"Side effect of being a good guy," Mai said, shrugging. Joey snorted.

"Good guy?"

"Well you are," Mai observed him over the rim of her teacup. "But don't let it go to your head. You know it's true Joey. You guys didn't have to get involved with the wizards, but you did because you wanted to help people. You and Yugi didn't have to compete in Battle City. But you did. You did it because you wanted to save the world. As long as you're a good guy, trouble is always going to find you."

Joey grinned. "Yeah I guess. Okay, so we don't exactly stay outta trouble. But..." He sighed. "I dunno. It's just harsh. I mean you know Ryou. He's a good guy. Heck he puts up with Bakura the psycho spirit from hell, which is more than the rest of us can do. He didn't ask to be a good guy or help save the world. He just got involved. He didn't deserve any of this, y'know? And Malik...well God knows what's happening to him, but it's definitely no picnic I'm betting. He doesn't deserve it either."

He broke off relenting finally and pouring milk into his tea and adding more hot water. Stirring the mixture, he sighed.

"I just keep thinking, it's always the ones who didn't ask for it who end up suffering first. And I don't want the next victim to be Serenity, or Tea...or you."

Mai would have been touched just to hear it, but the way Joey lifted his eyes over the rim of his teacup to look at her made her feel hot all over. She felt a flash of fear as she remembered coarse hot sand pressing into her from all sides, and she took a large sip of her tea. Too late she remembered it was scalding, and she felt her tongue burn.

"Mai?"

"I dreamt of my Penalty Game."

She hadn't meant to say it so matter of factly – or even say it at all. But the shock of burning her tongue seemed to send it tumbling from her lips unrestrained. She immediately wished she could take it back. Joey's whole body had gone rigid.

"Mai-"

"It was just the same as after Battle City. There's all this sand everywhere...it's crushing me. And I can hear you guys all having fun below. I'm banging on the glass and yelling but none of you hear me..."

The rambling was quickly restrained. She hated how she sounded – like a frightened little girl who had a bad dream. Except she was a grown woman and her monsters were very real. She put the teacup back to her lips to stop the flow of anxiety. The hot camomile burnt once more.

"God..." Joey seemed lost for words. He sat back in his chair, his brow creased as he tried to absorb this latest twist to the problems.

"_He's concerned about me,"_ even though she had been around him a lot more over the last few months, it still gave her a small thrill every time she realised that.

"Have you had it before?" he asked eventually. She shook her head.

"Not since...before I started working for Dartz," she swallowed. She saw Joey flinch.

"Mai, you're not alone like you were then."

"I know," she nodded. "I know I'm not alone this time. I'm not going to fall into that trap again Joey." And as she said it to him, she found herself believing her own words for the first time. Her cheer was short lived however, as she directed her gaze back to the cup. "I know I could though. When I grabbed the stone earlier today, I felt it. It was like a little voice urging me to put it on and use it again. Once I stamped on it was gone..."

"You wouldn't have put it on," Joey said firmly. "Not after seeing what it did to Bakura. And that must be why the dreams started again. You touching the rock probably triggered them. Yugi said he and the Pharaoh had bad dreams when someone brought the stones into the castle last year."

Mai's shoulders slumped. "We're here until the end of the week. What are the odds of me not coming into contact with another stone before then?"

They both looked at each other. They knew even if that happened, the problem of the Orichalcos wouldn't just go away because they were on a different continent. It certainly hadn't helped last time when it had dragged them all the way to California.

"I'm just...tired of this Joey," Mai shrank in her seat like all her energy had vanished with that confession. "I thought – after what happened in February with the warehouse, that I could beat it." She did not bother to mention that she actually had not won her duel, as she had forced it into a draw, but in an Orichalcos duel, a draw was far more tricky and in many ways, far more desirable.

"And now, we're here again, and everything's going to hell again. And just touching it brings me right back to this. Doubting myself again. Feeling weak-"

"No." She jumped at the forcefulness in his voice, and she looked up to find brown eyes burning with determination. "You are _not _weak Mai. Everything that happened with the Orichalcos – none of that was your fault."

He said it with such bitterness that Mai was surprised, until she caught the look of self loathing on Joey's face. The pieces fell into place with a click.

"It wasn't your fault either Joey. My actions were my own."

He gave her a look and she felt his deep brown eyes look right through her words.

"You were alone Mai. You'd just come out of a Shadow Game and I – none of us – even thought to see if you were okay. Really okay. We thought you'd wake up after it was over and that would be the end of it. We should have known better. We all just said our goodbyes at Battle City and I didn't even bother to call or write to you, not even to see how you were doing."

He scoffed at himself. "I haven't always been a great friend. I told you after I had that dream when I got struck by lightning that you were my friend, and you helped me get back on my feet. But I couldn't do the same for you when you needed to get back on yours. I let you drive off after Battle City not knowing how I felt..."

Her breath caught in her throat, but Joey seemed to have finished talking, his gaze back on his mug. She wondered if he was waiting for a response, but she saw the lines in his forehead smooth out and she realised that he just wanted to explain and get it off his chest. Her mind was begging him to carry on – to finish that last train of thought. But there was a more important response she needed to give.

"Joey, you jumped in front of an attack from a God to save me," she pointed out. "You never needed to prove to me that you were my friend. I was the one who forgot that. None of it was your fault."

She leaned back in her seat and picked up her mug again. Joey was looking at her again, and she felt bare beneath his gaze – she could hide nothing from him.

"I told Yugi in Duellist Kingdom that you should face your problems instead of running from them," she said. "I didn't take my own advice the last time the Orichalcos was around. But this time," she met his eyes. "I'm facing them. It's long overdue. So when you guys take down this Voldemort jerk, I'm going to be there too."

"You sure?" Joey asked. "I mean you could just go home and be safe..."

Mai snorted. "I've never run away from men with egos and large sticks. I'm not about to do so now."

Joey roared with laughter. "Oh man, I've gotta remember that one when I see him..."

A feeling of security and resolution that she had not felt in a long time washed over Mai, and she leaned back in her seat with her cooling mug of tea in her lap as she smirked. "Not if I see him first," she grinned.

OOO

There was not a single sound in the Department of Mysteries at midnight. The very bowels of the Ministry of Magic, it was a fortress of silence even when it did have staff present. It gave off the same smothering sensation as the worlds strictest Library, where you dared not even breathe loudly for fear of being glared at by an accusing librarian.

It was the corridor outside the department that saw a small man, with tired eyes and a complexion that made him seem drained, sweeping the last remains of dust from the floor.

A wizard would have had this done in moments with a sweep of their wand. But Oshar was no wizard, despite what his presence in the Ministry of Magic suggested, and he had always favoured elbow grease over a quick fix. To him, this kind of magic seemed incredibly lazy. He would love to see the wizards do one day without their wands, and see them fumble around with buckets and brushes.

None the less, he was grateful for his current occupation. A caretaker was not glamorous, but with no qualifications in either the wizard or muggle world it was necessary. And besides, he always had the night shift, so no wizard ever saw him and paused to wonder why he didn't just use magic to scrub the hallways. If they ever bothered to look in the first place. That was the other thing he appreciated about this job. Nobody saw you. You were just a hunched over figure cleaning quietly in the corner. No one of importance.

They were fools. He was far more important than anyone realised. For it was the detail in his head, not his ability to clean a floor until it shone, that made him valuable. He had already received many rewards for his services. And if he carried on like this, he would receive all the reward he needed to live a comfortable life. And he had earned a comfortable life after so many years underground.

Standing straight and flexing his shoulders, he felt the muscles bunch and squeeze, and his joints pop. He was getting older. So many years wasted underground for a dead Pharaoh. His legs gave a particularly painful squeeze and he cursed his past for catching up with him the other day. He had been warned of bearers being around – the thief, and the Pharaoh's vessel in particular, were the ones the Dark Lord was so keen for information on. But he had never banked on running into one of them in the middle of London. And he had certainly never banked on seeing the youngest Ishtar ever again.

The boy had grown up a great deal since he had last seen him. For a hopeful moment in the underground station he had hoped that he might get away with it. But he had good memory for faces it seemed, and he had had no choice but to flee. His leg muscles still burned from his marathon dash to safety...

The doorway at the end of the hall slammed loudly, and his head snapped up. He had not seen or heard anyone pass.

"Hello?" his thick voice was met with cold silence. Carefully, he felt for the knife in his belt. It would do no good against wizards and their magic, but it made him feel braver. He inched towards the door. It was the one that lead to the main hall of the Department of Mysteries. He didn't like that room. The circular walls and the many doors that rotated to confuse intruders made him uneasy and reminded him too much of the tombs.

Gently, he pushed the door open. The round room was dark, with nobody in sight. Deciding that it had just been his imagination, Oshar backed up a step and closed the door again.

He hadn't felt the knife being swiped carefully and precisely across his stomach, until he registered that something warm was soaking the front of his shirt. Crimson crept slowly across the fabric, staining it like a puddle, and Oshar's vision darkened at the edges. A horrified scream choked in his throat, and as if finally realising what had happened, his body exploded in agony.

His knife clattered uselessly to the floor and he fell to his knees, a puddle already forming around him. The cut was not deep enough to spill his guts, but already he could feel his head spinning.

Footsteps, almost silent, appeared behind him.

Another swipe...the skin on his left forearm was broken by a surgical line of bubbling crimson. He collapsed to his side. A heavy boot kicked him onto his back and the blade came down again against the tip of his little finger.

This time he screamed.

A soft voice, completely at odds with the searing pain raging up and down his body, whispered gently in his ear.

"Let me tell you a story Oshar..."

Gold caught Oshar's eye, and in the midst of his pain filled delirium, he saw wings and an eye...the Millennium Rod, with its blade extended, and drops of his blood dripping on to his clean floor.

"Once upon a time..." the dark voice hissed. "There was a tomb keeper, who was charged to keep secrets..."

The blade swiped again, and the terrified man screamed.

"But he didn't keep those secrets..." the voice whispered. "Instead he told anyone who would flash him a pretty penny..."

Swipe. Another finger tip landed on the floor, motionless next to its fallen comrades.

The hot face pressed hard against the side of his cheek, the words turning to a venomous, snake-like hiss.

"But d'you know what Oshar?"

He felt the metal – warm and slick with his blood – press against his wrist, and his heart raced, pumping blood from his wounds and making his head swoon with terror so pure he thought he might go mad.

"The other tomb keepers didn't like that."

With a sharp, forceful jerk, the blade of the Millennium Rod plunged through flesh and muscle. It jarred hard against the wristbones, and the pain ripped savagely through Oshar's whole body. His eyes rolled back in his head, and he felt hot bile rise in his throat before the shock encompassed him and he was swept into endless darkness.

OOO

**A/N: **Can anyone guess which book Bakura was referencing in his drunken ramblings? (HINT: It was most definitely NOT the Bible!)

Yeah, in case you hadn't noticed, I'm not a fan of doormat-Kisara. She's a friggin' dragon for crying out loud! She's got one hell of a backbone!


	13. Chapter 13: Catching Heat

**A/N: **If you guessed Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman last chapter, you were right. If you haven't read Good Omens, I urge you to do so immediately. You will never look at the apocalypse the same way.

Apologies for the weeks delay everyone. 7th Librarian and I were very busy in our last few days together, and Camp Nano has now started of course. But more to the point, two fandoms have a hold on me at the moment and are refusing to let go – I'm a fully committed Doctor Who fangirl once again (and toying with several fanfiction ideas), and Call the Midwife has charmed me too with its adorable cast and deeply emotional stories. I have read an obscene amount of books in the last few weeks, and 7th Librarian introduced me to Fate/Zero.

So yeah – distraction time over. Have an update! And don't forget to review!

OOO

**Chapter 13: Catching Heat**

The morning dawned with grey clouds and a gloomy atmosphere. The humidity from the thunderstorm the previous night had vanished, leaving an unseasonable chill behind with the large puddles up and down the street. Taxis sent sprays of water up onto unsuspecting tourists, who walked around in their summer clothes, cursing the unpredictable British weather.

Yugi watched as the early morning traffic surged past the end of the street. He had pressed his forehead against the window pane, and he could see his breath misting on the glass. London seemed lively despite the turn of the weather, and yet he felt his mood match the dull clouds above their head. Somewhere out in that city, he hoped that they would find Malik today, and maybe even Ryou. But the endless buildings stretched for miles before him, reminding him that that was an awful lot of city to search, even with the aid of magic.

"_We're coming guys..._" he thought to himself. "_Just hold on...I swear we'll get you back."_

He sighed, and tried to pull his mind together, letting the tactical knowledge that was both his and the Pharaoh's seep together and plan out the day. After breakfast, they would start trying to track Malik with the Millennium Ring. Yugi would have liked to get going right away, but Yami had pointed out that Bakura would need to be sober and coherent to use magic, thus the need for breakfast before they left. Finding him should not take too long with Bakura's aid.

The main problem would be getting him back. While they still were not a hundred percent sure that Death Eaters had been involved, it was highly likely after the CCTV research the previous evening. Yugi was reluctant to drag everyone in to danger, but instinctively, he knew that they would be needed. He and Yami had made the mistake of separating from their friends when they agreed to go to Hogwarts, and that had ended badly. They were a team, and they would rescue Malik together.

Yugi had to groan. This was not the most airtight plan. There were a million things that could go wrong – finding Malik in the first place would be completely scuppered if he had somehow dropped the Rod or had it taken from him. And even if it was Death Eaters, and they found Malik, they still had to somehow find Voldemort, beat him, and get Ryou back, along with all the souls from the Dominion that they now knew were trapped in the Shadow Realm, including but not limited to Ryou and Bakura's own sisters...

"...we'll get them back, Yugi."

Sighing, Yugi peeled his forehead away from the glass, and turned to face the round blue eyes of his worried best friend. "I know Tea."

She put her hands on her hips and he winced – he couldn't lie to her. She must be able to see the dark circles under his eyes, and the way he brought his hand up to stifle a yawn. He was worried, and he had not slept.

"We'll get them back – all of them," she said firmly, reaching over and squeezing his hand. "We always do. We'll find Voldemort, and get our friends back. That's how it always works."

"Yeah...and every time I think of what will happen if we don't," Yugi sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping. "Tea, do you ever wonder if maybe, just once, we won't succeed? That our luck will just run out?"

Worry flashed across her face for a moment, before she wiped it and replaced it with a confident smile. "We don't need luck. We have you, Yugi. You always come through for us."

He shook his head. "That's not me Tea. That's-"

"Yes it is," she interrupted so firmly that his eyes widened in surprise. "It's always you Yugi. You're the one we turn to in a crisis. Not the Pharaoh. Yeah, he's the fighter, but you're our leader Yugi. And that's why we always win – why we always get everyone back. Because you're the one who gets us through it. Even Yami understands that."

"Tea..." he didn't know what to say. He certainly didn't feel much like a leader now with so many doubts in his head. But she had that look on her face that he recognised from so many years of knowing her. It was the look she wore when she had yelled at Kaiba after their duel on the rooftop of Duellist Kingdom. It was the look she had when she shouted at them to never give up when they were duelling. It was the look she wore when she knew she was right. When she knew that they would get past this and succeed at whatever it was they were trying to do. It was a look that Yugi loved, as he felt his own confidence rise in response. How did she always know him so well?

She gave his hand another squeeze.

"We're all right behind you Yugi. You know we are."

Slowly, he nodded. "Yeah. I know." He managed a smile, feeling much less grey than he had before. "With you behind me, I know we'll find them."

He meant to say "_you guys"_ but he did not try to correct himself. He saw Tea's cheeks gain a hint of pink, and he willed himself not to blush in response.

"We'd better go get breakfast..." Tea finally said, her eyes darting nervously away.

"Yeah we should..."

They did not speak as they walked down the corridor towards the stairs, but neither felt like letting go of the other's hands yet.

"Just drop it Tristan."

"Come on! Throw me a bone!"

"I'll throw you down this staircase if you don't leave it."

Yugi and Tea exchanged worried looks, and peered over the banister. About two floors down, they could just make out a mop of blonde hair that had to belong to Joey.

"Dude, I'm not stupid," Tristan's voice was arguing. "Serenity told me Mai came back about four thirty, and that's when you came back too. You can tell me. I won't laugh."

"Okay first of all, yeah you will," Joey objected. "And second, we couldn't sleep, so we went to get tea downstairs."

"Hmm, is that what they call it in Britain?"

There was a sharp whacking sound and a yelp of pain from Tristan.

"Okay...too early for lowbrow jokes. Got it..."

"Hey guys," Tea called, dragging Yugi hastily down the last flight of steps to join them. Joey, who had been scowling at his friend, caught sight of them and quickly became more cheerful.

"Morning."

"How'd you sleep?" Tristan asked, straightening up with a grimace from the punch Joey had thrown.

"Not great," Yugi admitted.

"Yeah, nightmares," Tea agreed.

"Don't think anyone had a great night," Joey admitted. "Duke text me five minutes ago. They might be a bit late. Rebecca wanted to call her grandfather before turning in last night, so we probably shouldn't expect to see them before nine."

"That's okay," Yugi shrugged. "Harry, Ron and Hermione probably won't get here till then. And I doubt Bakura's going to want to move much before then either."

"Yeah incidentally," Tristan said. "Has anyone actually ever dealt with Bakura hungover before?"

Yugi felt a nudge from his darker half and he nodded.

"Yami says he'll do it. He says he needs to talk to Bakura before we set out today."

"Have we got a plan?" Joey asked, starting off again towards the ground floor.

Yugi ran over his thoughts on using the Ring, as they headed for breakfast. The hotel reception was busy when they got to the ground floor – several duellists were checking out to go home already now that the competition was over, though Yugi knew that a lot of them had arranged to stay for the remainder of the week to sightsee. Leon waved to them and yelled a promise to email them, while his brother Zigfried argued with the receptionist about the extras on their bill.

As Yugi gave a final wave to Leon, Tea paused whacked her forehead with her palm in exasperation.

"Shoot. I knew forgot something! Go ahead Yugi, I'll be right back!"

She slipped her hand out of his, and Yugi couldn't help but feel a little disappointed that the contact was gone. He heard a warm dark chuckle in his mind that was hastily smothered.

/_What are you laughing at?_/ he asked, folding his arms as though his other half were there to see him.

/_Nothing Aibou. Nothing at all. Go get breakfast._/

Still pink cheeked, Yugi hurried to the restaurant, where Joey had already darted in at the first smell of bacon and eggs. Tristan was standing in the doorway, frowning in confusion as Yugi approached.

"Tea had to run back to the room," Yugi explained quickly, prodding his friend in the direction of the restaurant. "So what was that all about with Joey on the stairs?"

Tristan blinked hard a few times as they walked over the threshold, and instantly looked a little guilty. "Oh...you heard that?"

"Kinda hard to miss it," Yugi smiled, as they headed for the breakfast buffet. Fortunately breakfast had only started being served five minutes ago, and the restaurant was empty save for them, so there was plenty of full English to go around, despite Joey's efforts to make a sizable dent in it.

"He and Mai were up late last night...well, this morning," Tristan whispered, as they helped themselves to plates. "Don't think either of them could sleep. He looked pretty worried when he came back in."

Yugi heaved a sigh. "There's been too many sleepless nights...I guess this whole thing is just bringing up bad memories for everyone..."

He thought of his own bad thoughts about the situation – seeing more of his friends carried off by the Orichalcos. The bad memories were replaced by fresh thoughts of horror.

"Hey Yugi," Tristan seemed to have noticed his distraction, and he placed a bracing hand on his shoulder. "You know we're all with you, right? We're going to get them back. Whatever it takes."

Yugi remembered Tea saying the same thing not minutes ago, and his gratitude for his friends welled up again. "Thanks Tristan. I know we will."

"No problems." Tristan's serious face wiped back to a teasing grin. "So how about you and Tea?"

Yugi became very interested in the fried mushrooms. "What about us?"

"Nothing...just you two looked very happy holding hands earlier on the stairs."

Filling his plate with more bacon than necessary, Yugi darted towards the table after Joey, mentally hissing to Yami to stop laughing at him.

"Man it's good to be first for breakfast," Joey grinned, already scooping up another mouthful of beans.

"Too bad you're not first in the tournament to go with it," Tristan said, coming within earshot and grinning at Yugi. Yugi wisely became very interested in his plate.

"Hey shut up! Third place is great!" Joey declared. "And anyway, Kaiba just got lucky. Next time I'll get him."

Yugi picked at his bacon as Joey rambled on about the tournament results and who he would have liked to duel if given the chance. It was hard to pay attention, and Yugi felt his worries starting to return. He wished Tea would get back. She always knew just what to say to distract him, and keep him on track.

"_She said I'm the leader,"_ he thought to himself. "_That I'm the one everyone looks to to know what to do. But I always look to her. She always guides me..."_ Unbidden the image of Tea trapped in the Seal burst through his mind and he shovelled a forkful of baked beans into his mouth. They burned his throat as they went down.

"Dude?" Joey's voice sounded far away, and Yugi put his half drained glass of juice down as he spoke. "Are you listening to me?"

"Yeah I'm listening..." Tristan replied, but he sounded vague and distracted, and Yugi didn't like the way his eyes were constantly darting towards the door like he was expecting to be attacked.

"Are you alright Tristan?" he asked. "Did something happen?" His friend tore his eyes away and back to his plate, but he made no move to touch his food.

"No nothing happened, it's just..." He shook his head. "I dunno...I didn't sleep well last night, like you guys. And now, I feel like I've forgotten something. Like I have something really important I had to do this morning, but I can't remember what."

"Well it's been a mad few days," Joey was saying, through another mouthful of baked beans. "Is it something to do with Ryou or Malik? Or the tournament maybe?"

Tristan shook his head and Yugi felt a chill that had nothing to do with the air conditioning. Something didn't feel right this morning but he just could not put his finger on it.

"It'll come back to you," Joey assured his friend, swallowing the last of his eggs and starting on the three croissants he had loaded onto his plate. "Speaking of Ryou and Malik, did anyone hear any more from Ishizu last night? Or Ryou's dad?"

Yugi nodded. "Ishizu rang just before we came downstairs. I told her what we found last night, but she hasn't heard anything. The police in Cairo are saying the same thing here – he has to be missing for twenty four hours, and even then, there's not much they can do. If there's no record of him leaving the country, it's down to the London police to find him. She did have some good news though – Odion seems to be recovering. It's still early stages, but they're pretty confident now that he'll get better."

"That's good," Joey agreed. "At least that'll be one less worry for Malik when we find him. What about Ryou's dad?"

Yugi sighed. "Nothing so far. I don't have his number or anything, and I didn't want to disturb Bakura. He...I don't think he likes Ryou's dad very much."

"Yeah I can sorta see where he's coming from," Joey admitted, swallowing another mouthful, flakes of pastry dotted around his lips. Abruptly he groaned loudly.

"Oh here's a cheery sight," he muttered, and Yugi twisted his head to the door. Kaiba had walked in, trenchcoat flapping dramatically behind him. Trying to keep his mind focused and hopeful, Yugi gave his rival a small smile. He CEO did not return it. He looked as though he had not slept well either, and Yugi wondered what had been plaguing his mind.

"Morning Kaiba. Sleep well?"

His rival gave a glare. "None of your business Yugi."

"Sheesh," Joey muttered. "Sorry for caring. Did you stay up all night grumpy that you lost again?"

The frosty glare suddenly became polar. "Unlike you Wheeler, I have better things to do than cry over my losses. I focus on the future and don't dwell on the pa-"

Yugi frowned as Kaiba cut himself off, a furious expression crossing his face. Something had really rattled him, and it worried him greatly. Glancing around, he realised that the more pleasant of the brothers was conspicuously absent from the almost empty breakfast room.

Where's Mokuba?"

Snapping out of his fury, Kaiba grunted. "Went back to the room. He forgot something."

The part of Yugi's mind that was trained to recognise danger after so many life threatening moments, kicked into gear in that instant. The morning light against the windows seemed to shadow as figures loomed behind it, now clear to his eyes. He seized the back of Joey's shirt and screamed a warning just as the windows exploded inwards with a thundering crash.

/_Aibou! The room!_/ Yami was two seconds behind Yugi as all four occupants of the room hit the floor.

/_I know! A Muggle Repellent Charm! That's why there's no one here! Why everyone was turning back at the door! They're here for us!_/

'They' were a group of twelve wizards, who swept into the room wearing purple robes. Yugi mentally wracked his brains, and remembered fleetingly from one of his Hogwarts text books that purple robes were the Department of Magical Law Enforcement – which meant that they were all aurors. Carefully he raised his head above the cloud of dust that had been kicked in with the damage. The group were converging on their corner table, and Yugi cursed himself for not picking a better location.

"Yugi Mutou?" the wizard at the front of the group was tall, dark and bald, and Yugi vaguely thought he recognised him. He had a hint of sadness in his eyes, as though he regretted what he was about to do. Cautiously, Yugi stood.

"Yeah?"

"We have a warrant for your arrest, along with Ryou Bakura and Malik Ishtar."

Yugi heard Joey swearing behind him, and he felt Kaiba straightening up from the floor. But he only had ears for his dark, who was frantically giving instructions as two aurors approached with their wands drawn.

"Oh what charges?" Yugi could feel his heart beating faster, and he slipped his hand towards his belt where he knew his deck box to be waiting. The aurors were almost upon him and he backed away towards Joey and Tristan.

"The murder of Ministry employee Ismat Oshar last night."

Yugi went cold and in that instant the aurors pounced. He reached for his deck, but the contact never made it. Both aurors went sprawling painfully to the ground, one of them spitting out a mouthful of blood as he did. Joey and Tristan flanked Yugi, their fists extended, fury written on both their faces.

"Guys-" Yugi was momentarily overwhelmed. The aurors all took a step back, shock and awe written over their faces. Clearly they had never had one muggle let alone two stand and fight before, and they were not quite sure how to handle it.

"What are you all, stupid?!" Joey barked. "Yugi would never murder anyone, and neither would Ryou or Malik!"

"Yeah even you must have to have evidence before you can arrest someone," Tristan put in. "What can you possibly have to back up your charges?!"

"That is none of your concern, muggle," another auror stepped forwards, and Yugi felt his heart begin to hammer again. It was Adams, the auror turned Death Eater who had been stalking them all week. "Step aside, or you will get hurt."

"Well bring the pain, you jerk!" Joey dared.

"Guys, they're aurors-" Yugi warned, but to his surprise, a voice that belonged to neither Joey or Tristan scoffed.

"Look you costume drama rejects," Kaiba swept in, sneering at the aurors. "I don't know who you are, but I can personally vouch that Yugi was in this hotel all last night-"

He never got any further. Adams, clearly impatient and frustrated at the lack of response from the team, whipped his wand through the air faster than Yugi's eyes could follow. Arms and legs snapping together, Kaiba toppled over backwards, slamming his head against the table as he fell, locked in the Body Bind Curse.

"Kaiba!" Yugi whirled, all thoughts of standing and fighting forgotten, as he crouched next to his rival and desperately tried to remember the counter curse. Joey and Tristan were gone from his side, leaping into the fray. Joey seized a startled auror by the back of the neck and twisted him around into the path of a stunning spell, while Tristan barrelled into Adams, and began pounding his face in. The aurors stumbled and scattered, not knowing quite what to do. Clearly non magical attacks were not something that they were trained to handle.

"Impedimenta!"

"TAKE THAT YA CLOAK WEARING FREAKS!"

There was a thud and a crash as Joey shoved two aurors into another of their comrades, sending all three of them flying into the breakfast buffet, upending the tray of scrambled eggs everywhere. Nimbly, Joey darted behind a chair, as another auror advanced, shooting stunning spells. They were getting over their surprise fast, and Yugi knew that Kaiba would have to wait.

/_Aibou, let me_/

It was not a second too soon. Yami had just enough time to seize his wand and yell "Protego!", blocking the stunning spell that would have knocked Tristan out. Tristan flashed a thumbs up, leaving Adams on the floor in a groaning ball of pain, before tackling another auror around the waist.

Still outnumbered, and seeing another three aurors bearing down on him, Yami felt once more for his deck. But he was not fast enough.

"Expelliarmus!"

His wand went flying across the room, and his deck scattered across the floor in the opposite direction. Yami made a wild dive for the nearest card, the Puzzle already glowing with energy. But the aurors were prepared, and the impedimenta jinx hit him straight in the stomach. Wheezing and frozen on all fours, Yami willed his wand to come back to his hand. It did not shift, and he cursed his non verbal wand work.

"Yugi!" Joey had fled the safety of his table and was racing towards him, ploughing into the auror who had cast the jinx. But the bald auror was quick on his feet, and the stunning spell hit Joey right between the shoulder blades. He crashed to the ground, completely out cold.

/_Joey!_/ Yugi was panicking, and he could feel Yami struggling and straining to move against the impedimenta jinx. But it felt like his limbs were cased in cement. There was a startled cry as Tristan too finally succumbed to a stunning spell. Of the original twelve, only five aurors remained standing.

"You two, take him," the bald auror was saying. "And you two help get the team back to the Ministry. We'll have to come back later for Bakura and Ishtar."

"What about those two?" One of the aurors said, nudging the unconscious Tristan with his foot.

"They assaulted aurors," Adams was slowly getting back to his feet. His nose was clearly broken, and there was blood filling his mouth. Despite the wheezing sound that accompanied it, he still managed to speak. "Assaulting aurors is a criminal offence –whether you're a wizard or a muggle."

"Adams, you can't be suggesting-" the bald auror began, but Adams furiously cut him off.

"Don't argue with me, Shacklebolt!" he paused to spit out a mouthful of blood. "They're all going to Azkaban! If we leave them here they could warn Ishtar and Bakura! The Minister can decide later what to do with them!"

Azkaban. The name sent a chill down Yugi's spine. He'd never been there, but he'd heard only bad things about it. He could not believe that the aurors were willing to send muggles to the wizard prison! But then he realised, how many muggles would have the bravery to fight back against wizards?

/_Joey. Tristan. I'm going to get us out of this. I swear...They can't take you to Azkaban. They can't!_/

/_Partner, try taking over_/ Yami urged. /_The spell may not hold a different soul as tightly as it does me_/

"The boy's becoming responsive again," one of the aurors warned, and five sets of wands turned on Yugi the instant he regained control of the body.

"You two get him out of here. Shacklebolt and I will follow with the muggles. And you two get the team back and start clearing this place up before the Repellent Charm wears off!"

The feeling back in his fingers, Yugi stretched as best he could for the card nearest to his hand – Swords of Revealing Light – praying that he could reach it in time...

"Stupefy!"

He thought heard Yami yelling his name, before the hotel carpet faded to black.

OOO

Tea was half way down the stairs when a jolt of pain ran through her heart. She seized the banister in a tight grip and winced.

"Tea?" Mokuba two steps ahead of her, paused and turned to look at her. The anxious frown that had been there since he had run into Tea five minutes ago, suddenly got deeper. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah...I just felt..." panic filled her body as she remembered the last time she had felt that sensation – outside the black domed shield that had separated, Joey, Tristan and herself from their best friend in the arena of the Duellist Kingdom finals.

"Yugi!" She fled down the stairs two at a time.

"Tea, wait! What's wrong?!" Mokuba was scrabbling to keep up, but Tea did not stop her flight, landing on the first floor and barging past Mai and Serenity.

"Tea!"

"Hey what's the big rush?"

"She said something's happened to Yugi!" Mokuba provided, and Tea heard the footsteps pick up behind her, but she was not paying any attention as she rounded the last bend and jumped the last four stairs, before fleeing towards the reception.

The check out queues had swollen to twice the size they were before, and Tea elbowed her way through a crowd of teenagers, and an elderly couple before she caught sight of the breakfast room. A smothering urge to turn and leave made her swoon, and she almost gave in to it, the frantic feeling that she had something to do pressing heavily on her mind.

"_No! Yugi needs me!"_

She pushed past it and burst into the breakfast room.

Around her, glass was sliding back into the windows, and plaster was rebuilding itself like someone rewinding the reel on a video. Men in purple robes were picking up other men in purple robes, most of them with bloody or bruised faces, disappearing with a pop and returning empty handed. Tea scanned the room anxiously. There was no sign of Yugi, Joey or Tristan anywhere, and yet she knew they had to be there...

"Seto!" Tea felt a thud as Mokuba skidded straight into her back, before bypassing her and bolting into the room. The four aurors whirled to face them, all of them aiming their wands straight at the group. Tea's heart thudded. Clearly they had not anticipated being interrupted.

"What did you do to my brother?!" Mokuba stood protectively over Kaiba, fury blazing in his eyes. Tea did not think she had ever seen him lose control like that.

"Adams?" One of the aurors had finally found his voice, turning towards his superior. Tea could not help but gasp. There was not an un-bruised patch of skin left anywhere on his face, but she could still recognise him as the auror who passed information to the Death Eaters.

"Wipe their memories, and retreat!"

"Like hell!" Tea heard Mai growl from behind her, but they were too far away, and one of the purple robed aurors was already advancing on Kaiba's frozen body. Mokuba threw himself on his brother.

"Obliviate!"

A furious roar filled the room, but it did not come from the auror's wand. Tea felt chills race down her spine. She knew that roar – everyone in Duel Monsters knew that roar, but she did not understand how it could be there. White lightning formed in the space above the CEO and blasted the approaching auror squarely in the stomach, obliterating the Memory Charm. Mokuba crouched over his brother looking completely windswept, and more than a little startled.

"Mokuba, are you alright?" Tea skidded to a halt next to him. The aurors had backed away in horror at the devastating attack, which had rendered one of their aurors unconscious on the floor.

"What magic was that?!" one of them cried.

"I thought he was a muggle!"

Adams gnashed his teeth together.

"Fall back!" he barked, and with a series of cracks, the aurors vanished.

"Where's Yugi! What have you done with them?!" Tea screamed. Adams, the only auror left, gave them a blood-soaked smile.

"They are beyond your help now, muggle scum!"

Mai launched herself at him, but he was already turning on the spot, vanishing with a final crack and leaving the breakfast room pristine and empty. Only Kaiba, laying on the floor, betrayed any of the bizarre and frightening scenario that had just passed.

"Seto..." Mokuba was shaking him. "Seto, please. Say something!"

"Here kiddo, let me see," Mai had already pulled out her first aid kit, but Mokuba crouched protectively over his brother, his moves becoming panicked and sharp as he shook harder.

"Seto! Come on!"

"Mokuba, let go," Serenity's voice was gentle, but firm, and she pulled Mokuba away by the shoulders with strength that Tea had never seen her use before. Mokuba's eyes had tears filling to the brim, but he angrily wiped them away, determined not to let them spill.

"What's wrong with him?" Tea asked, as Mai began examining him.

"I don't know, I'm not a doctor," Mai replied. "He's conscious, but he can't seem to move. It's like he's paralysed. I think it might be a spell."

"So we need a wizard to remove it," Tea said. Her mind was racing with everything she had just witnessed. Yugi, Joey and Tristan gone. The aurors trying to curse Kaiba and Mokuba. The White Lightning Attack...none of it made sense anymore.

"_A wizard...we need a wizard,"_ she thought erratically. "_Harry, Ron and Hermione won't get here for at least another hour and a half. Yugi isn't here anymore...Malik is missing..."_

The solution snapped into her mind and she stood swiftly.

"Get Kaiba up to your room," she ordered, knowing she had to take charge now. "Take that elevator next to the boardroom. Try not to let anyone see you. I'm going to get Bakura. He's the only one who can remove the spell."

Nodding, Mai bagged her first aid kit and grabbed Kaiba by the shoulders. Lifting him was hard, as his stiff arms and legs resisted all movement, but with Mokuba on her other side, they succeeded in hauling him upright.

"Tea?" Serenity had materialised next to her, and Tea turned to see her clutching something in her outstretched hand. Her heart thudded as she recognised it, and tears sprung into her own eyes.

"Yugi's deck..." she whispered, taking it reverently from Serenity.

"You'd better look after it until we get him back," Serenity urged, taking Tea's free hand and squeezing it, just as Yugi had done to her earlier.

Swallowing the painful lump in her throat, Tea pocketed the cards.

"You're right...come on. You help them. I'll meet you in your room."

OOO

Muted sunlight banged like a hammer against Bakura's closed eyes. Coherence brought with it a body cramping wave of total wrongness. He felt like shit, to put it quite bluntly. His mouth was bone dry, and someone was pounding away at his brain with a pneumatic drill (for some reason this mischievous impish someone had Malik's face). He let out a low growl, which quickly twisted into a groan as he felt his stomach roll.

For a moment, sense escaped him. Why was he in Ryou's body? He couldn't be in his own shadow form – he would have run out of energy ages ago and had to return to the Ring. But he had never got drunk in Ryou's body before. He would never dream of leaving Ryou with these after effects. The sensation of wrongness hit him full again, and he curled pathetically into a tight ball. He had not felt this rough in a long time...but then Egypt did not have extra strong liquor like modern society did.

Carefully, with his scrambled head doing its best to thwart him, he backtracked what he remembered of the night before. He did not remember falling asleep, but that was no surprise. He vaguely remembered crimson eyes and spiky hair...the Pharaoh. What the hell had he been doing there? Had they been drinking together? He shuddered as a more horrifying thought filled his mind instead. He had been crying. Oh Ra's graces, he hadn't, had he? Yes, he felt the dryness of salt on his cheeks, and he groaned again. He was never going to live this down.

But why had he been drinking in the first place? He rarely got drunk. The last time he'd been wasted had been a festival back in Egypt, and he'd been among friends, and felt a little safer about letting himself go. He had no friends here now. Yugi's little geek squad were not his friends (though he'd always suspected that Wheeler would be a riot to get drunk with, for comedy purposes). Malik was the closest thing he had to a friend, and he wasn't here. And Ryou...

Ryou.

Oh Gods, Ryou!

Bakura's stomach churned violently, and bitter saliva flooded his mouth. Someone (probably the Pharaoh, he realised with another groan) had left the bin beside the bed, and he grabbed it just in time as his body lost all semblance of stasis and he vomited up the vodka. It burned twice as bad as it had on the way down.

The rejection of his stomach ended as violently as it had begun. Slumping back against the bed, Bakura felt the wrongness triple as he felt the mind link he shared with his hikari. It was silent. He groped out further, and met only emptiness. He was completely alone.

/_Ryou...Gods I'm sorry...I'm such a fuck up_./

The link stayed dead.

Sullen thoughts made his head ache further. Carefully, Bakura rolled himself off the bed. His body screamed in protest, and he pitched forwards into the window frame.

"Gods I must be dead again..." the sound of his own voice, scratchy and raw, only enforced the statement. Pushing against the windowsill, he forced himself to his feet, and immediately raced for the bathroom. He made it with seconds to spare.

Alcohol, tonic water, bile, and everything else finally purged from his stomach, he filled the sink with cold water and plunged his head straight into it. His headache multiplied into a full army of grinning Malik's with pneumatic drills, but he did not pull his head out until he had no breath left. Now fully awake, he scooped up a handful of water and rinsed his mouth out.

"Oh Nephthys...dear Nephthys," he gripped the sink, watching the water drain slowly down the plug as he addressed the deity. "Y'know that thing you do for the Pharaoh, letting him drink his body weight and not have a hangover? Well if you could do that for me, with those bottles I swallowed last night that would be fantastic. Otherwise I fear I may throw up again...I mean...I think I've suffered enough, don't you?"

For an answer, there was a frantic banging at the bedroom door. Bakura's foot caught the edge of a puddle and he slipped painfully into the floor. Bits of his body that weren't aching suddenly joined the party.

"Bakura! Bakura! Get up!"

Cursing in his mother tongue, Bakura crawled on his hands and knees back to the bedroom, before finally pulling himself upright at the door. He wrenched it open venomously.

"For the love of Isis! Stop. Fucking. Shouting!" he growled. Tea wrinkled her nose and took a hasty step back.

"Oh dear God! You stink!"

"Gardner," Bakura cut her off. "I have a headache the size of the fucking pyramids – please stop shouting, or I will shatter into a thousand tiny pieces." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Now what was so important that I had to postpone continuing my pity party in the shower?"

"Yugi's been arrested!"

Any thoughts of continuing his pity party vanished. Bakura scanned Tea's face for any sign that she was lying or brainwashed. He found none.

And he had thought it could not get any worse.

"What?"

Tea's explanation was frantic and rambling, but Bakura managed to piece together the picture enough to grab Ryou's wand and his keycard, and follow her into Mai and Serenity's room.

Someone had placed Kaiba on the nearest bed, and Mokuba sat beside him, clutching his hand. He was completely stiff, with his arms glued to his sides, and his legs ramrod straight. The muscles in his jaw were tense and locked, and the only movement was from his eyes. Someone had already roused Rebecca and Duke from their sleep, and they stood nearby, still pyjama clad and relieved to see Tea appear dragging the King of Thieves in. They all pulled faces as he arrived. Bakura rolled his eyes. He did not care that he was still in the clothes Ryou had worn the day before, and that his hair resembled a rat's nest.

"Alright, does anyone know what spell hit him?" he asked, leaning over and peering at the CEO's frozen face. Bakura guessed that if Kaiba had to choose, he would be the last person he would ask for help – his facial expression did not change, but he could feel the glare coming from his eyes.

"Jeeze," Mai winced, shifting as far away from Bakura as she could without falling off the bed. "What did you do? Bathe in the mini bar?"

"Yes I bathed in the mini bar, _mother_," Bakura sneered, not taking his eyes off Kaiba. The part of his head that was not pounding out his higher brain functions through his ears, told him that the CEO had been hit with a Body Bind Curse, and from the recesses of his memory, he dug up the counter curse. He ran a hand along Ryou's wand, allowing a contemplative smirk to cross his face.

"You know, I could just leave you like this if I wanted to Kaiba, so tell me...how much is being able to move worth to you?"

"BAKURA!" everyone yelled, and the thief winced and covered his ears.

"Alright alright! For the love of the Gods, don't shout!" as another stab pounded above his eyes, Bakura flicked his wand and muttered the counter curse. Instantly Kaiba's arms and legs went limp, and he gave a small gasp as Mokuba threw his arms around his middle.

"Seto! You're okay!"

"Let him breathe Mokuba," Serenity suggested gently, but she looked just as relieved as everyone to see Kaiba back to normal. Bakura rolled his eyes and lay back on the other bed, pressing the pillow over his face, secretly hoping someone might take the hint and smother him. He choked as he was tackled around the waist by a mop of black hair.

"Thank you Bakura!"

He grunted awkwardly. The only person who hugged him these days was Ryou (or Malik when he was feeling particularly stupid) and non-threatening body contact still caught him off guard. He resisted the instinctual urge to put a knife in Mokuba's back, and instead took his shoulders gently but firmly and prised him off.

"Don't mention it..." he glanced over Mokuba's shoulder and saw Kaiba shooting him disgruntled looks. "In fact, I think your brother would be thrilled if you didn't mention it." He allowed himself to smirk at the CEO. "So what's the flimsy non-magical excuse this time Kaiba? A full body muscle spasm?"

Kaiba just glared, and did not say a word.

"Kaiba, what happened to Yugi?" Tea could not keep silent any longer, and she stepped forward, her hands clenched tightly into fists at her side. Bakura had to admire her restraint for not becoming hysterical already.

"Those cloaked wearing freaks took them," Kaiba said slowly, apparently still trying to get the fact that he'd been locked under a spell out of his mind. "They said they had a warrant for Yugi's arrest."

"But why did they take Joey and Tristan too?" Serenity said, allowing a hint of panic to emerge in her voice. "They're not magical!"

Kaiba rolled his eyes. "They were annoyed that the Mutt and Taylor actually managed to do a good job of beating them all to a pulp, so they arrested them too."

Bakura sat and listened as Kaiba explained everything from the moment the aurors had arrived, to the moment when Mokuba and Tea had burst in to the room. He had to hand it to Joey and Tristan – from what little information Kaiba provided it sounded like they had put up a very good fight against the aurors. When the CEO mentioned the word 'Azkaban' Bakura leaped from the bed and began swearing loudly in Egyptian. Nobody reacted, except Kaiba, who's eyebrows bunched together in a frown at his appalling language.

"Azkaban," Tea turned the word over. "I don't think Yugi ever mentioned that to me. What is it?"

"Prison for wizards," Bakura elaborated. "Used to be guarded by Dementors until they all defected to Voldemort's side. I've heard now it's just guarded by aurors." He sighed and began pacing. "If they get sent to Azkaban...well it won't be as bad as it could be, but even so, prison is no picnic no matter where it is."

Any other time, Bakura might have found the idea of the Pharaoh in prison beautifully ironic. But this was no time for jokes even if his sense of humour hadn't been located in the region of his brain throbbing with hangover.

"Can we break them out?" Duke suggested immediately. Bakura shrugged.

"I have no idea. I can break into anywhere, and get myself out. But I can't vouch for getting other people out, especially when I've never seen the place before or know anything about it."

"We'd better ask Harry, Ron and Hermione," Tea said. "They'll know what we can do."

There was a creaking of mattress springs, and a swish of a trenchcoat as Kaiba got swiftly from the bed, and marched towards the door. Mokuba called him back, but he was already out of the room and striding down the corridor. Bakura scowled fiercely.

"Let me," he said firmly, placing a hand on Mokuba's shoulder to stop him from following. "I need to speak to him anyway."

"About what?" Mokuba asked sceptically, and Bakura just knew he was wondering if he would be seeing his brother in one piece again. Bakura grimly yanked the door open.

"Big brother stuff."

And he marched out before anyone could question him anymore. Let the others panic about the Pharaoh and his friends for now. He had something more important to ask before he could get himself worked up about breaking into Azkaban. He grimaced. He had thought things could not get any worse last night. Malik missing. Ryou...gone. And now Oshar dead and the Ministry arresting Yugi, Joey and Tristan.

He shoved it aside. There was something very important he had to know before he could focus on getting the Pharaoh out.

"Kaiba!" he snapped.

The CEO did not stop walking, but Bakura saw his neck stiffen.

"Hey! I have a question for you."

"Tell it to someone else," Kaiba instructed. "I'll get Yugi back using my own methods."

His desire to find Yugi caught Bakura by surprise, and he quickly felt relieved that at least he was co-operating in getting the Pharaoh back. Kaiba wasn't stupid. He must know that they needed him.

"That's not what I wanted to ask," Bakura said, drawing level with Kaiba and plucking the key card from his hands before he could open the door to his room. "I want to know who you sent to guard the lost souls in the Shadow Realm, and why?"

He had expected Kaiba to scoff, and spit out denials while demanding his key back. Not for the CEO's entire body to go completely rigid again like he was back under the Body Bind Curse. A soft growl worked its way out of the Kaiba's throat, and he snatched the card back with lightning speed.

"Is nothing sacred from you freaks anymore?" he demanded angrily. "In any case, I've done nothing. Now drop it."

"No I will not drop it," Bakura seized the door handle and pulled it shut again with a slam. "Because my sister is trapped there right now, and don't pretend that you don't know how that feels – having a sibling trapped where you can't reach them. Or has Duellist Kingdom been carefully edited from your memory? And just like you, I'll do whatever it takes to get my sibling out. So don't you _dare_ try and brush me off!"

"We are nothing alike," Kaiba sneered. Bakura took a step forward, wishing that he were a few inches taller to properly intimidate the reincarnated priest. Kaiba gave no reaction except to deepen his scowl slightly.

"Is my sister, alright?" Bakura tried again, gritting his teeth in a desperate fight not to just beat the answer out of Kaiba.

"How the hell should I know?" Kaiba demanded.

"Well unless you would like me to believe that Ryou's sister was lying, you've had someone keeping tabs on them in the Shadow Realm."

"What you see in your hallucinations has nothing to do with me."

The momentary slip of Kaiba's mask was over, and he was back to his usual defences. Bakura's temper exploded.

"What are you not telling us, Priest?!" he barked in Egyptian, yelping as his arm was unexpectedly twisted into a lock, and Kaiba pushed past him into his room.

"Go back and project your insanity onto Yugi's geek squad. And don't try to make me a part of your dramas!"

The door slammed, and Bakura kicked out at it, swearing loudly as he generated more pain in his already abused body. Wincing as he stepped down on his injury, he gripped his head, growling angry threats under his breath.

"Y'know, doors work better when you don't kick them."

Frowning, Bakura looked up to see Mokuba standing a few doors down, his arms folded, leaning casually against the wall.

"You heard the whole thing?" Bakura grimaced.

Mokuba shrugged. "What can I say? I love eavesdropping. Half of business is subterfuge and spying. But anyway, you know magic, so I thought you'd better know this..."

He explained quickly how the auror had attempted to wipe his brother's memory, and how a well placed White Lightning attack had saved their one lead from being erased. Bakura's head was starting to feel like scrambled egg again, and he held on only vaguely.

"It was definitely a White Lightning attack?"

"Yeah," Mokuba nodded. "I'd know that sound anywhere."

"And he didn't actually summon Blue Eyes?"

Mokuba shrugged. "I didn't see his duel disk on, or any holograms appear, so I don't think so. Just the attack." He frowned. "Does that mean Big Brother has magic like yours?"

Bakura ran a hand over his face and gripped his hair. His focus was rapidly leaving him. "Not exactly. He's always had it, but I've never heard of a monster attacking on their own before, especially without a proper summon..." He rubbed his temples. "Has he been acting differently lately? Maybe it's just getting stronger or something..."

"No, except..." Mokuba frowned and shuffled awkwardly. "He was talking in his sleep last night. I didn't think anything of it..."

The conversation was hitting a dead end and Bakura was becoming frustrated. He just wanted to go lie down again and try to think of a solution to all his problems. "What did he say?" he asked distractedly.

"He said 'Kisara'," Mokuba reported. "Does that mean anything to you?"

Halfway through the motion of rubbing his headache away again, Bakura froze.

"What did you say?"

"I said, Kisara," Mokuba repeated. "Why? Is it important?"

Pieces snapped in to place in Bakura's mind, and he leaned back against the wall staring off into the distance. Slowly, a grin spread across his face – the first one he had given since losing Ryou the day before.

"Umm...Bakura?" Mokuba backed slowly away – apparently the sight of him grinning was more than a little unnerving. Elation and relief seemed to burst through Bakura's body, obliterating his headache and exploding out of his mouth in wave after wave of laughter. Dimly, he heard the rest of the Pharaoh's friends peering out of the room a few doors down, watching him in alarm.

"_She's fine...Akila will be fine...Gods bless that girl for watching them..."_

"Are you alright Bakura?" Mokuba asked cautiously. The euphoria died down, and his hangover returned full force, but determination now coursed through Bakura's body. Now that his greatest fear was alleviated somewhat, the other tasks on his mind seemed not only doable, but positively easy.

"I think the hangover is going to his head," Rebecca said dryly. "Let's get him some breakfast into him and then we can work out a plan when Hermione and the others get here."

OOO

Joey had never been in prison before. Oh he had _visited _one before – when he had been eight years old, and his father had been thrown in for being drunk and disorderly. His mother had only taken them to visit him once and the place had terrified Joey. The walls had been blank and the air oppressive. Serenity had wailed from the moment they sat down, and they had been forced to leave very quickly. A month later, Joey's father had been let out, and the marriage had spiralled quickly down from there. Joey had sworn he would never end up in one of those places himself.

Azkaban was no ordinary prison – that much was obvious. Though Joey had not been conscious to see them arrive, he could hear the sound of waves slapping against rocks outside, so they had to be near the coast. It was freezing, and he was shivering in his jacket. The walls were solid impenetrable blocks of stone, which had to be at least a metre thick. It would take TNT to blast through them. And the solid bars that covered the windows looked equally tough.

The room they were in appeared to be some kind of holding cell, with no visible door – instead a portion of the wall slid back when the aurors tapped their wands against it, and closed back up behind them leaving smooth stone behind them. The two aurors guarding them did not say a word, standing like toy soldiers against the wall. Joey was dying to curse them out – or better yet, slug them in the face – but the instant he woke up, he had been tethered with the same spell they had used on Kaiba, and he could not have moved his jaw even if he had wanted to insult them. Tristan was in a similar state, and Yugi remained unconscious – for whatever reason they were too scared to revive him yet.

"_This is mad..."_ Joey thought to himself. "_We haven't done anything – but it's like they don't even care! They just want someone to blame! Damn I hate jerks like this!"_

He struggled again even though he knew it was futile. The spell held him in place like there were straps all over his body.

The wall split open in the middle and the two aurors stood to attention as Adams walked back in. Joey was far from pleased to see that his face was miraculously bruise free. Damn wizards and their magic! Not for the first time, Joey wished he could summon his own monsters at will like Yugi and the others. But the only times he had done it had been in life threatening situations.

"_Hey guys, if you're not too busy, I could use a hand here,"_ he thought.

In his pocket, his deck remained disappointingly inert.

"Process them and take them to M five, M six and M seven. The Minister will decide what to do with the muggles. Do not revive Mutou until he is in his cell. He's more dangerous than he looks."

"_I'm gonna kill this guy, I swear to God,"_ Joey thought venomously. He wanted to kick and lash out, but he was powerless as the auror on the left crouched beside him and began pawing through his pockets. Joey managed a low growl as the man pulled out his deck and placed it in the box Adams offered him, along with his wallet, keys, watch and dog tags.

"_Great, it's just like real prison," _Joey thought as they set about removing his shoelaces. "_They're taking away anything we could use to kill ourselves."_ On his left, he saw the other auror doing the same to Tristan. They both seemed reluctant to approach Yugi, but at a nod from Adams, they knelt down and got to work removing all his belts.

It was only when one of them reached to unbuckle the collar around Yugi's neck, that Joey realised what was really at stake here.

"_Oh shit! The Puzzle!"_

How could he have been so stupid as to overlook this?! No wonder Adams was sticking to them like glue! He was waiting to get his hands on the Puzzle! With Yugi locked up, nobody else would even know it was missing! He could just hand it straight over to Voldemort and nobody in the Ministry would be the wiser. Frantic, his eyes snapped to the auror, and his heart hammered at the sight of Adams' face, and the unmistakable desire in his eyes.

"_Shit, Yugi! Pharaoh! If either of you are awake in there, you need to get up now! Fight them. Trap them in the Shadow Realm. I don't care. Just do something!"_

The Puzzle seemed to flash in the lamplight, and one of the aurors reached for it.

"_YUGI!_"

Yugi did not open his eyes, but a pulse of shadow magic engulfed the entire room, swirling angrily around the startled wizards. Joey wanted to grin as he saw them converge into a single solid mass with a lean body, spiky hair and glowing blood red eyes. Yami was out.

And boy was he pissed.

The two aurors were completely astonished to find a physical double of the unconscious young man standing before them. Adams was quicker to recover however, and waved his wand with a roar of a spell. Yami was gone instantly, darting behind one of the aurors and ended up tackling him. Given that he weighed only in the region of a hundred and forty pounds he could not hope to completely topple the man. But that was not what he was aiming for. The box in the auror's hands went flying, with Yugi's belts, wallet and wand soaring sky high. Yami seized the stick of wood in midair, and leaped off the man, a stunning spell already flying from the end. It caught the second auror in the stomach.

"_Yes! Go Pharaoh!_" Joey was silently cheering, but it was quickly eclipsed as Adams and the startled auror got over their shock and began shooting back. Yami dodged, but it was an enclosed space, and he seemed to be more sluggish than normal. Clearly the stunning spell had affected him just as much as Yugi.

"_What gives?"_ Joey thought, as Yami narrowly avoided having his arm severed by a curse that instead gashed a hole in the wall. "_Usually Yami would be kicking butt and taking names by this point – but the aurors are outgunning him. What's going on?"_

Then it occurred to him. There was nothing he could do but shoot spells at the wizards, who were far better trained in wizard magic than he was, and were used to combat situations like this. Shadow magic on its own could not fight the aurors. There was nothing in the room Yami could use to turn into a Shadow Game, and he did not have his deck to summon any monsters. And unlike Joey and Tristan, there was no way Yami had the physical capabilities to slug the aurors in the face.

"_Damn it, if only I could get free!"_ Joey strained once more against his bindings, but it was futile, and the aurors were allowing Yami no time to stop and unjinx his friends. Backed into a corner, Yami ducked and dived the spells, only to have his wand sent flying from his grasp. Adams finished off with a blood red jet of lightning that struck the Pharaoh in the chest. He crumpled to the floor and did not stir.

Panicking, Joey willed his limbs to move, but before anyone could do anything, Yami's body seemed to fade, dissipating into the air like smoke from a bonfire, until no evidence remained that there had once been a person there.

"_It's just the Shadow Magic,"_ Joey told himself, having seen this happen once before. "_He's okay. He just got hurt and couldn't hold the Shadow Magic in his soul anymore, so his soul returned to the Puzzle like it always does. He's okay..." _Chanting it over and over again however did not calm the racing in his heart as he realised that with Yami exhausted, they had lost their last chance of breaking out.

"Get him out of here!" Adams ordered the still conscious auror, nodding at his stunned and unresponsive colleague. There was a rumble of footsteps and the wall moved obediently aside to allow another group of four aurors to appear. Joey felt defeat fall on him like a smothering blanket. They were beaten.

"You four, get them into their cells," Adams ordered, waving his wand and levitating the chain off from around Yugi's neck. "Have guards posted on them around the clock. I'm taking their effects to be catalogued."

"_The Puzzle..." _desperation gave way to despair, and all Joey could do was watch as Adams carefully levitated it into Yugi's box. This time, the auror did not bother to conceal his glee as he strode from the room with the three boxes and his ultimate prize, leaving Joey to be levitated himself and directed into his cell. He did not take his eyes off Yugi's unconscious body until they had deposited him on the floor of his own cell, cutting off his vision with another thick stone wall.

The door (which was barred unlike the holding cell) was slammed closed, wands tapped gently along it, before someone muttered something and Joey felt his limbs snap free of their stiff constraints. Aching all over, he gently tried to flex some feelings back into them. From two cells down, he could hear soft groans that he knew belonged to Tristan.

The aurors turned and left, leaving Joey to crawl painfully to his cell doors.

"Yugi...Tristan...you guys okay?"

"Yeah..." Tristan sounded as bad as he felt, but it was impossible to see out into the corridor. The bars were too tightly spaced for Joey to get his head through.

"Guys..." Yugi sounded sluggish as he struggled to work out what had happened. There was a startled intake of breath, and Joey felt his own catch in pain at what he now had to tell his friend.

"The Puzzle! Where is it? I can't hear Yami!"

"Yuge..." Joey began slowly. "They took it. They took all our stuff, including the Puzzle." He pressed his head against the bars, wishing more than anything he could tell Yugi face to face that it would be okay.

"It'll be okay..." he tried, but his words sounded weak to his own ears, and he knew Yugi was not listening to him anymore. Just as he knew, even without hearing a sound, that he had just slumped against the wall of the cell and started crying.

OOO


End file.
